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Abstract
Contributions made by allied health programs to the local
community extend beyond quality health care. Estimated in this paper
are the economic contributions that the College of Allied Health
Professions at the University of South Alabama makes to the economy of
Mobile County, Alabama, in which the College is located. Economic
impact is defined as only those expenditures that are brought to the
local economy from outside by the existence of the College, excluding
any expenditures that simply change hands in the local economy.
Expenditures generated by the existence of the College have the
following three groups: expenditures made by out-of-town students,
expenditures generated by the College for its operation as well as
salaries of its employees who reside in the local area, and external
grants generated by the College faculty. In addition to these direct
expenditures impact, an estimate is also made for the long-term
economic impact of the College on the local economy through the supply
of educated health care workers. Total impact is obtained on the basis
of RIMS II regional input-output multipliers estimated specifically
for Mobile County by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The total
amount of the annual direct expenditures impact of the College of
Allied Health Professions on the local economy is $29,852,490.43.
Including the multiplier effect, the amount of total expenditures
generated by the College of Allied Health Professions for the local
economy is $60,290,089.67 per year. The total number of jobs that are
created or maintained in Mobile County by the College-generated
expenditures is 1,248. In addition to the direct and indirect economic
impact from new expenditures, the College also contributes to the
local economy through education and training of its workers. The
College of Allied Health Professions contributes $4,424,398.39 in
increased earnings annually to the state of Alabama of which
$2,145,335.30 is to Mobile County through its education and training. |
