Health Care in rural and frontier America has been a concern for several decades. For many areas, health care services have been virtually nonexistent. Our clinic in Delta Junction has served us well for many years, but our needs are outpacing what this facility will be able to provide. Anyone needing inpatient care, CT scans, MRIs and advanced diagnostic tests, physical therapy and anything beyond basic procedures must travel close to 100 miles at best.
There is no question that the need for a rural hospital exists. In fact, there are more patient visits, emergency visits and clinical tests at our local clinic than in many rural hospitals in the Lower 48. The Interior Alaska Hospital Foundation, located in Delta Junction, Alaska has completed a feasibility study on the current and future needs of health care services for Interior Alaska. It’s not a new idea; there are more than 1,400 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States and many of them have a smaller population and half the clinic visits that Delta has! The feasibility study shows that Delta Junction can support a small hospital.
WHAT ARE THE ECONOMICS? With an aging population among other factors, the health care sector is a growing part of our economy both in terms of percentage of GDP and employment. Increased services in this area will boost economic growth and create additional employment opportunities.
Impact on Employment, Income & Retail Sales
The table above illustrates the direct and indirect benefits of an expanded medical care facility. Under the current model the hospital would directly employ of 55 FTE employees. Using the employment multiplier of 1.32 the total employment impact would be 72. The direct payroll would be $4,500,000. Applying the income multiplier of 1.17 brings the total hospital income impact to $5,265,000. Income also has an impact on retail sales. This ratio indicates the percentage of personal income spent on items that generate local retail sales. This ratio is estimated to be 23% translating to $1,210,950 in retail sales annually. The bottom line is the health sector not only contributes greatly to the medical health of the community, but also to the economic health of the community.
WHY WILL THIS WORK?
Many of the requirements for successfully starting a rural hospital have already been met: – Significant growth rate: Delta Junction has one of the higher growth rates in Alaska with an expected population of over 6,000 people by 2016.
- Regional networks of larger hospitals: they will provide support services for specialty services to rural hospitals.
- Need for care and services: the local clinic currently has more than 16,000 visits per year – Need for emergency care: the local clinic sees more than 1,800 emergency department visits per year.
- Need for expanded care: data shows that our area should see 812 CT scans and 325 MRIs a year.
- Medicare reimbursement: reimbursement rates will increase to 101%.
HOW WILL THIS HELP ME?
While healthcare is the first priority, there are additional benefits that are significant for everyone. Consider the current cost of a simple diagnostic test like a CT scan. There is the cost of the procedure, the cost of losing work time, the cost of fuel and the head-ache of making arrangements for kids, vehicles and any other aspects of daily life that must be accounted for even with a basic procedure. A local hospital would reduce these costs as well as providing:
- Quality local health care. – Stabilization for critical cases that need to be transported
- Acute inpatient care
- Emergency department
- Diagnostic services
- Specialty clinics
- Chronic disease management
- Nutritional education.
- Wellness education.
- Local physical and occupational therapy
- Workman’s comp testing
- Tele-Medicine: giving the ability to electronically bring in specialists without transport or delay.
WHAT CAN I DO?
This is a grass-roots effort with local planning, implementation and control. It will only happen if we all show our support! – Become a member of the foundation as a concerned citizen; a board of directors is selected from the membership of the foundation to handle the day to day business.
- Serve on the committees that are developing as this project moves forward.
- Make a donation to the foundation to complete the plan outlined by the feasibility study. – Share this information with others who are also concerned about quality healthcare options.
Please see us for more information and to show your support at the upcoming Festival of Lights! You can also find more details regarding the feasibility of this project on our website at www. interioralaskahospitalfoundation.org
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Please email: board@interioralaskahospitalfoundation.org
Visit our website: http://www.interioralaskahospitalfoundation.org
I want to help with a donation (Donations can be sent directly to IAHF or taken to Wells Fargo Bank) I want to become a member of the IAHF foundation. $25 membership fee.
- If you are joining the foundation, please include your name and email address so you can receive updates on reports and progress. – You will also receive notification of an annual meeting of the corporation to elect board members. Foundation members are always welcome to board meetings.
Name: _____________________________________________________ Email: _____________________________________________________
For questions and comments, please contact: Interior Alaska Hospital Foundation PO Box 671 Delta Jct., AK 99737 Phone: (907) 803-3030