Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) annually contributes more than $4.1 billion to the state’s economy, according to information provided by The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP).

LVHN also supports nearly 27,000 full-time jobs, directly and indirectly, in the Lehigh Valley and northeast Pennsylvania.

“LVHN plays a major role in the economic and social well-being of our community,” said Brian A. Nester, DO, MBA, FACOEP, the President and CEO of LVHN.

“Not only do we provide care for our most vulnerable citizens, but we are changing the way care is delivered through a greater emphasis on outpatient care, population health and the use of new technology.

“As the network grows and expands into new areas to provide its services to communities, the benefit to those communities is clear and significant.”

HAP reports that nearly $115 billion in statewide economic impact in 2015 is an increase of $4 billion from the previous year. This includes the support of 625,000 jobs, directly and indirectly. Health-care spending stays in the local economy.

Every dollar spent by hospitals results in an additional $1.23 spent in other parts of the economy through spinoff investments, resource utilization and purchasing.

“Hospitals and health systems continue to play a critical role as top employers and economic engines, at a time when the state and nation face great fiscal pressures,” said Andy Carter, HAP president and CEO. “They are dramatically changing the way they meet patient needs, and in doing so, new economic opportunities are being created.”

Lehigh Valley Health Network includes five hospital campuses: three in Allentown, including the region’s only facility dedicated to orthopedic surgery; one in Bethlehem, and one in Hazleton; 14 health centers in five counties; primary and specialty care physician practices throughout the region; pharmacy, imaging, home health and lab services, and preferred provider services through Valley Preferred.

Specialty care includes: trauma care at the region’s busiest, most-experienced trauma center treating adults and children; burn care at the regional Burn Center; kidney and pancreas transplants; perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer care, and neurology and complex neurosurgery capabilities including national certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Children’s Hospital at Lehigh Valley Hospital, the only children’s hospital in the region, provides care in 28 specialties and general pediatrics.

Lehigh Valley Hospital has been recognized by US News & World Report for 20 consecutive years as one of America’s Best Hospitals and is a national Magnet hospital for excellence in nursing.

LVHN’s Cancer Institute is a formal member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Alliance, an initiative to improve the quality of care and outcomes for people with cancer in community health care settings, including access to key MSK clinical trials.

Information: lvhn.org