Butler Memorial Hospital contributed more than $260.5 million to the region's economy and supported more than 1,500 jobs in the 2020 fiscal year.

The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania reported that Pennsylvania hospitals generated $155 billion in economic activity in 2020, and supported one in nine jobs statewide.

Butler Health System employs more than 3,000 people and more than 270 providers, making it the largest employer in Butler County, according to a news release from the system. It consists of two hospitals, 72 outpatient locations throughout Butler, Clarion, Allegheny, Armstrong, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer and Venango counties, and has partnerships with a number of local organizations.

“The overall benefit of BHS approaches half a billion dollars every year,” said BHS president and CEO Ken DeFurio. “You can see what a major economic driver Butler Memorial Hospital is for our community.”

Read more in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.