THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 11, 1996 TAG: 9604110001
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Medical schools are economic powerhouses. That shouldn't surprise anyone, considering the impact of the health-care industry on the national economy.
Old Dominion University researchers last year calculated Eastern Virginia Medical School's annual boost to the Hampton Roads economy to be roughly a half-billion dollars. The medical school's value to the region turned out to be greater than researchers had expected initially because much of the economic impact comes from out-of-area dollars - from patients and their visitors, students, conference attendees and foundation and governmental research grants - that would not flow to Hampton Roads if EVMS didn't exist.
Virginia contains three medical schools, the University of Virginia Medical School in Charlottesville and the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond - both of which are ``state'' medical schools - and EVMS, which is a private school that owns no hospitals and is not linked with a state-supported university.
A recent study by a Pittsburgh, Pa.-based research firm measures the combined impact of Virginia's three academic health centers upon the state economy at $2.7 billion a year, with EVMS and its major affiliates (Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and The Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters) accounting for $923 million of the total.
That's the big picture. What does EVMS mean economically to each of Hampton Roads' seven cities?
The school has been looking into that, because the region's local governments allocate funds for EVMS's operations. The cities get back far more than they give.
For example, the 282 EVMS employees who live in Chesapeake earned $10.2 million in 1995. EVMS faculty cared for more than 24,000 Chesapeake residents, providing $1.5 million in uncompensated care to indigents. Twenty-five EVMS alumni have offices in the city. The school requested $104,000 from Chesapeake City Hall for FY96.
More EVMS employees - 753 - live in Norfolk, the site of the medical school, than in any other city. Their pay totaled $33.8 million in 1995. EVMS faculty cared for 78,717 residents, providing $5.5 million in uncompensated care to indigents. Seventy-three EVMS alumni have offices in Norfolk. The school requested $683,577 from the city government for FY96.
The second largest number of EVMS employees - 641 - live in Virginia Beach. Their pay totaled $28.7 million. EVMS faculty cared for 37,057 Beach residents, providing $2.2 million in uncompensated care. The medical school asked $448,864 from the Beach in FY96.
Portsmouth's 103 EVMS employees were paid $3.5 million. EVMS faculty cared for 25,104 Portsmouth residents, providing $1.7 million in uncompensated indigent care. Fifteen EVMS alumni have offices in Portsmouth. The school asked $52,867 of the city in FY96.
All but 42 of EVMS's 1,898 employees live in a Hampton Roads city. Of the $80.4 million in salaries and wages paid by the medical school in 1995, $78,333,000 went to them. Of the 203,450 people cared for by EVMS faculty, 182,463 were from the region's seven cities. EVMS's uncompensated care for indigents totaled $13.9 million, with $11.9 million for the cities' indigents. EVMS requested $1.4 million from the seven cities for FY96.
Moral: Like many other worthy institutions, EVMS must unceasingly solicit financial support from public and private sources. Its case for aid is exceptionally strong. by CNB