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Hospitals a boon to Kane County

If we heard one thing loud and clear on Nov. 2, it was that the economy trumps all else. Recovery of jobs, improving the economy these are the concerns that voters took to the polls when they elected their representatives.

Often underscored, hospitals serve as an economic engine for Kane County, providing their communities with $234 million in charitable community benefits and directly and indirectly employing more than 21,000 people directly stimulating the economy through their operations, according to a newly released report from the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council.

Kane County hospitals serve as a tremendous asset to their communities by helping to relieve the burden of government. They provide essential community health services, the responsibility for which would otherwise fall squarely on our city, state or federal governments. Specifically, hospitals in Kane County alone provided more than $75 million in free medical care and more than $136 million to subsidize care provided to Medicare and Medicaid patients.

Hospitals in the county also spent $15 million to subsidize money-losing health services, including emergency departments, neonatal intensive care, pediatric, geriatric and immunization programs.

Combining human compassion with state-of-the-art technology, hospitals provide round-the-clock care to their neighbors.

Hospitals in Kane County are a pillar of economic stability, providing quality employment opportunities and reducing the burden on overstressed government programs. Please remember that the health care community is shedding some light on our dim economic landscape, providing both physical and fiscal health to the people of Kane County.

Kevin Scanlan

Orland Park

President/CEO

Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council