Truman Medical Centers: A Key Player in Local Health Care Industry

Hospitals are one of the strongest segments of Missouri’s economy, according to the Missouri Hospital Association (MHA). Although some hospitals across the country experienced layoffs in 2009, MHA notes that Missouri’s hospitals added 300 jobs in January 2009 and have added 1,500 jobs since January 2008. When compared to two other large sectors, health care clearly is playing a leading role in supporting Missouri communities—manufacturing employ¬ment fell by 8,500, and retail employment fell by 12,500 in January.

A shining example of the economic impact of Missouri’s hospitals, Truman Medical Centers (TMC) is a $420 million enterprise that employs more than 4,000 people—fifty percent of whom live within the limits of Kansas City. TMC’s payroll tax contributes approximately 2 million dollars to the local government. In addition, its business activity—including capital improvements—infuses as much as $120 million into the local economy through supplies, commodities, utility payments, and building projects in any given year.

The Kansas City Business Journal reported in August 2008 that TMC has invested about $215 million during the past eight years updating equipment and facilities and expanding services, which translates into revenue for local suppliers. The organization also supports a strong commitment to local minority and women-owned businesses to the tune of $10-14 million annually.

“Hospitals are robust economic engines,” said CEO and President John Bluford in an interview with the Wednesday Sun Newspaper. “We play a lot of different roles in employment, as well as purchasers of assets and resources.” Truman Medical Centers—the largest provider of outpatient and specialty care in Kansas City—is a two-hospital, non-profit health system comprised of TMC Hospital Hill and TMC Lakewood.