James_September-October_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 44
The role of hospitals in economic development goes further.
A study by former Georgia State
Fiscal Economist Dr. Jeffrey
Dorfman (Economic Development
Quarterly, 2017) found that a rural
hospital is associated with higher
employment in the county, higher
wages and better paying jobs for
women. Dorfman found that a typical rural hospital supports 60 jobs
in healthcare and an additional
499 nonhealthcare jobs.
Yet hospitals are under increasing financial pressure from
insurance companies, government
payors and federal changes to
healthcare finance systems.
The University of North Carolina’s Sheps Center identifies nine
closed rural hospitals in Georgia
since 2008, and 20 additional rural
hospitals that are vulnerable. That’s
20 rural communities that face devastating losses of healthcare access
and economic development.
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One of the bright shining stars
for hospitals has been the Georgia
Rural Hospital Tax Credit program,
which allows state taxpayers to
claim a tax credit for donations
to designated rural hospitals. The
General Assembly has wisely
expanded this program as it has
helped stabilize the finances of
rural hospitals while allowing
taxpayers to direct how some of
their state tax dollars are used to
support their community.
We are thankful to our state
legislators for this expansion, and
we hope to continue working with
them to ensure access to healthcare and access to economic development through further strengthening our community hospitals.
While candidates, political parties and even individuals seem more
polarized than ever before, we are
pleased to see both candidates for
governor talking about the importance of healthcare for our state.
JAMES SEPTE M B E R/O C TO BE R 2 0 2 6
Voters agree, with three-quarters of
respondents in a recent poll by the
University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs Survey
Research Center saying healthcare
is an important issue in deciding for
whom to vote.
Democratic candidate for governor and former mayor of Atlanta
Keisha Lance Bottom has been
highlighting healthcare policy and
the vital role Medicaid expansion
could play in Georgia. Also, Republican candidate for governor Rick
Jackson has a unique background
as a business leader in healthcare and has taken an innovative
approach to helping an Alabama
hospital keep their doors open, and
we look forward to learning more
about his policy positions.
Monty Veazey is the President & CEO of the
Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals,
representing not-for-profit hospitals across
the state.
