For Immediate Release: May 4, 2004

For More Information Contact:

Lori L. Henshey

Communications Specialist

West Virginia Hospital Association

304/353-9747

Fax: 304/344-9745

NATIONAL HOSPITAL WEEK CELEBRATED MAY 9-15, COVER THE UNINSURED WEEK RECOGNIZED MAY 10-16

CHARLESTON, WV – National Hospital Week 2004 will be celebrated throughout West Virginia May 9-15 with the theme Miracles Start With Caring Hearts. The week will be a time to express appreciation for the people, facilities and technologies that make healthcare possible in communities all across West Virginia.

Sponsored nationally by the American Hospital Association (AHA), and recognized locally by the West Virginia Hospital Association (WVHA), West Virginia’s 73 hospitals and health systems will commemorate the importance of their workforce and celebrate their commitment to communities.

“With new technologies and advances in medicine,” said Steven Summer, WVHA President and CEO, “we’re living in a miraculous time for healthcare. But it’s important to remember that these medical miracles would not be possible without the caring, concern and dedication to excellence of the more than 39,000 healthcare professionals working in West Virginia hospitals.”

This weeklong celebration coincides with a new American Hospital Association report that points to hospitals as major contributors to the U.S. economy. In West Virginia, hospitals support 11.3 percent of the state’s total non-farm employment, the second highest rate in the nation, the report shows. West Virginia hospitals employ 39,424 people. Using a multiplier to calculate ripple effects, another 43,000 jobs are indirectly supported by the hospitals, for a total of 82,810 jobs.

“The AHA report shows the importance on our economy of a strong, sound, viable healthcare industry,” Summer said. “In West Virginia, healthcare and hospitals are a huge part of our economy. It’s one of the few industries that’s growing. Not only do hospitals employ thousands of West Virginians, they are among the top employers in counties throughout the state.”

This year National Hospital Week coincides with Cover The Uninsured Week (CTUW). CTUW, held May 10-16, is a national initiative coordinated by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is designed to raise awareness of the plight of the 44 million uninsured Americans. More than 250,000 West Virginians are part of that national figure. In fact, one in every five West Virginians between the ages of 19 and 64 has no health insurance.

The WVHA is partnering with the West Virginia Institute for Health Policy Research and other statewide groups in a coordinated effort to elevate the issue of the uninsured on the national and local agendas by educating West Virginians about the problem and by providing immediate assistance to the uninsured, as well as to small business owners.

Plans also are underway for a statewide Cover The Uninsured Week WV observance, tentatively scheduled for June 19-26, 2004. To learn more about this initiative, contact the WVHA or the West Virginia University Institute for Health Policy Research at 304/347-1382 or www.wvhealthpolicy.org.