Benefits of Academic Medicine

Leading the Transformation of Healthcare in Baton Rouge

Academic medical centers bring tremendous value to the communities they serve. Activity and expenditures around medical research creates a powerful economic stimulus to the local economy, helping our community in a variety of ways. Economic and community development helps break the poverty cycle, creating family-sustaining jobs and supporting the local economy.

In addition, academic medical centers bring skilled teachers, interns and intellectual capital - all of which contributes to a robust local economy. In a time when economic development is elusive nationwide, Baton Rouge is sitting atop a powerful economic engine. Amid economic uncertainty and strong growth alike, the Lake is a valuable asset in our community, providing jobs and job-growth opportunities, support to other businesses and stimulating economic activity.

Research will bring unimagined innovations, attracting new private and public funding, as well as federal research and development monies. A nod to the success of Pennington Biomedical Research Center validates the benefits of ongoing research to the community. Great things are already happening, but the best is yet to come.

Our region will become a destination for patients from other areas seeking specialty services, making Baton Rouge an importer (rather than exporter) of patients and the economic activity that they directly and indirectly generate.

The combined impact of all academic medical centers in the US for 2008 is estimated at $512 billion, supporting 3.3 million jobs nationwide. One of every 43 wage earners in the US has a job because they work either directly for an academic medical center or they provide indirect services that arise from the activities of these centers.