There are about 93,400 people employed at hospitals in the Atlanta metro, up 10,500 workers (12.7%) from 2013. Since last year, hospital employment has grown about 5.5%.
By volume and per capita, most metros have grown their hospital staffs to some degree over the past decade.
Tampa led the cohort in hospital growth per capita. The metro’s population is growing incredibly fast, and its hospitals have followed suit. In addition to a budding Medical and Research District, the region’s leading Tampa General Hospital is expanding rapidly. Last year, Tampa General opened a new rehabilitation hospital, and now it’s in the midst of a 500,000-square-foot hospital expansion that will create nearly 6,000 jobs.
Tampa isn’t the only part of the Sunshine State with an abundance of hospitals—and for good reason. In 2019, Florida eliminated government approval requirements for new hospitals. Now, dozens of them are going up across the fast-growing state. While ease of access for many residents may improve, KFF Health News reported that having more hospitals could end up escalating health care costs.
That fear is what led Massachusetts to block some hospital additions in Boston, where government approval is still required. Despite a few rejections and repeals, several hospitals throughout the metro are building capacity, including Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
The COVID-19 pandemic stressed Boston’s existing hospital infrastructure, adding urgency to upgrade and add hospital beds throughout the city. Boston is an international hub for medicine and life sciences, so it’s unsurprising it is among the metros leading the country in hospital employment gains.
Not every metro is experiencing the same surplus. Hospitals in San Francisco—and across California—have faced consolidations and closures due to financial and staffing challenges….
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