According to the Georgia Hospital Association, 12 hospitals in the state have closed since 2013, and a recent article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution states that 18 out of 30 rural hospitals in the state are at risk of closure. It is critically important that rural hospitals remain open as they not only provide emergent care that may make the difference between life or death, but they serve as economic engines for the communities they serve.
In 2022, Burke Health in Waynesboro generated more than $91.8 million in revenue for the state economy, according to a recent report by the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA). The report also revealed that the hospital contributed nearly $64.8 million to Burke County alone. In previous years, the impact was significantly less.
Hospitals in rural areas like Burke Health are major sources of jobs for the community and are often the largest employer in their areas. GHA’s report showed that Burke Health directly employed 254 full-time employees solely in Burke County. Applying an output multiplier to this number reveals that the hospital supported 410 full-time jobs in the state. The output multiplier shows how money spent by hospitals also helps other businesses, like those making medical supplies, equipment, and medicine. It shows how spending in one area can lead to more spending and jobs in other parts of the economy.
“Most people don’t think of hospitals as economic engines,” said Burke Health CEO Michael Hester. “This report shows the massive financial impact of our facility on our local community as well as the entire state of Georgia. We are proud to contribute not only to our community’s health and wellness, but also to its economic stability. We anticipate the annual economic impact of Burke to be nearly $200 million for 2024.”
The report also measures Burke Health’s direct fiscal contributions to Georgia’s working families. The study showed that the hospital generated nearly $22.5 million in household earnings in Burke County alone. Applying a household earnings multiplier to this number shows that the hospital contributed more than $38.1 million in household earnings to the state. The multiplier shows how people who have jobs at the hospital or because of the hospital help the economy by spending money on daily living expenditures.
Burke Health’s economic impact was largely felt locally in Burke County; however, more than $27.1 million rippled through the state’s economy outside of the county.
While many rural hospitals in the state are struggling to make ends meet, Burke Health has transformed from a county subsidized facility to a private regional specialty care center. It has become one of the CSRA’s leading orthopedic specialty hospitals of choice, recently adding two new operating rooms with state-of-the-art technology including robotics. Early last year, they added interventional Cardiology and a new imaging and therapy center in the old Burke County library building. Currently, a lobby expansion is being done in front of the hospital to accommodate continued growth. Burke Health has grown from employing fewer than 100 employees to now employing over 250 full-time employees and around 100 part-time employees.
Last year, the facility was named HomeTown Health, LLC. Hospital of the year. Hometown Health, LLC, is an organization representing over 70 hospitals primarily in Georgia and North Florida. “In an everchanging healthcare market, it takes consistent leadership as well as widespread staff dedication and team-level effort to maintain excellence in patient care and to improve the patient experience, while also making wise financial decisions to ensure long term financial stability, especially in rural markets. Burke Health has seen remarkable growth in the past two years and has provided outstanding patient care to the communities they serve,” said Kristy Thomson, COO, of HomeTown Health when presenting the Hospital of the Year award to Burke Health CEO Mike Hester.
The hospital has come a long way since the days of obstetrics and pediatrics in the late 1980s, to now having nearly 30 orthopedic surgeons performing shoulder, hand, hip, knee, and spine surgeries as well as providing general, endoscopic, urology, and pain management services. Additionally, they provide cardiac coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to Waynesboro and the surrounding communities. As orthopedic surgeries increased, Burke Health added two operating rooms in June of 2024. These new rooms are equipped with 3D C-Arm and O-Arm imaging, which offer high resolution 3D imaging, allowing surgeons to view intricate details with remarkable clarity in real time during surgical procedures, leading to better precision, fewer complications, and reduced procedure time overall. These larger rooms also make it easier for microscopes for spine surgery to move in and around the room.
“ These new rooms are integrated, which allows the surgeon a better field of view as well as the ability to control several devices such as suction, lights, and even music from one console,” said Lavon Jackson, Director of Surgical Services. “Most importantly, x-ray and MRI images are displayed clearly on the screens for surgeons to easily reference.”
Chief nursing officer Debbie Burch, who became a Registered Nurse and then a Family Nurse Practitioner during her 5-decade career at Burke Health says that she is grateful for the new leadership, who have allowed the hospital to continue to be operational while other rural facilities have struggled.
“They have taken me and others who have been loyal to the hospital through its transitions over the years as well as the new employees and have shown us how to expand our experience and our knowledge base to care for our own Burke County residents as well as those who come from surrounding areas. These are exciting times at Burke Health,” said Burch, who notes how far the facility has come since the days of sharpening needles, using glass syringes, and sterilizing individual gauzes to now offering robotic surgery and lifesaving cardiac procedures like stents and pacemakers.
There is no doubt that adding orthopedics and cardiology has accelerated the hospital’s growth, but that’s not the only thing that has made employment more than double at Burke Health. Leadership offers things like employee appreciation tailgates, ice cream and coffee trucks “just because” and acknowledgement of staff who were mentioned in patient reviews. The leaders recognize that you cannot take care of patients without first taking care of your staff.”
The administration’s commitment to the employees was perhaps most evident during the aftermath of Helene. Chief Operating Offer Rob Snipes emailed employees letting them know the hospital was creating take home meals for their families and getting additional ice and even items like toilet paper, paper plates, and bottled water for them to take home. The facility brought in additional washers and dryers for staff to be able to do their laundry if they were without power and water at home. One employee posted on social media “Burke Health has been beyond amazing!! They have gone above and beyond to make sure we all have everything we need. They truly care very much about our community and ALL of our employees.”
Burke Health employees aren’t the only ones who are thankful for the hospital’s success. Community member and patient Scott Gossett said the hospital went from possibly closing its doors to now providing orthopedic, cardiology, and urology coverage to not only Waynesboro, but surrounding areas also.
“Six and a half years ago, we didn’t know if we would have a hospital,” said Gossett. “The transformation has been incredible to watch. Patients and doctors choose to come here because of how they are treated.”
Gossett says this is the only facility he knows of where patients can enjoy a steak dinner after surgery.
“The hospital made our community thrive, and not just Waynesboro,” said Gossett. “Friends from Aiken, SC and other areas have come for hip and knee replacements. It’s just amazing what this hospital is doing; it’s well worth the drive if you don’t live in Waynesboro.”
Gossett is not the only patient to sing the hospital’s praises, as evident by their 4.8 star google rating with over 1,100 reviews. Since starting the cardiac Cath lab in July of 2022, many people thank Burke Health for performing life saving measures during heart attacks.
Burke County resident Tony Meyer had a heart attack while working in his front yard one month after turning 50 and says without this hospital he would not be here today.
“They had me on the table within minutes and had me stented in 45 minutes or less which made all the difference,” said Meyer. “They have an amazing staff, and they are doing incredible things here every day; they are saving lives, and they saved mine, without a doubt.”
“Our success is due to a host of reasons: supportive community, amazing staff and physicians, and a core mission that drives us – provide the highest quality care while providing the best patient experience possible”, said CEO, Mike Hester.