Hospitals rank as major drivers of local economy

There is no doubt that the health-care industry in Colorado has a huge impact on Colorado’s economy. As one of the largest employers in the state, Colorado community hospitals employed 75,586 people in 2015, creating more than $11 billion in payroll and benefits that were then spent energizing the local economy, according to data compiled by the American Hospital Association. The hospitals themselves spent $12.6 billion in 2015, which contributed $28.9 billion to Colorado’s total state economic output. Nationwide, hospitals contributed $2.8 trillion to the economy.

Health-care systems such as Boulder Community Health, UCHealth and Banner Health…