There’s been a lot going on lately at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, most notably a wave of new construction (including a new children’s hospital underway and a recently opened rehabilitation hospital). The boom shows itself as a part of a recent stretch of Penn State history full of campaigns and expansions.

The center has proven to be of significant benefit to the Hershey area as well. According to The Patriot-News, the medical center has grown from employing 1,400 people in 2001 to the 8,800 people it employs today. A lot of the growth has come from research funding from sources like the National Institutes of Health. After the state and federal governments, the Penn State Hershey Medical Center is the largest employer in the midstate region.

In this economy, I think we can agree that job creation is a good thing.

And in just the same way the medical center is good for the region, it seems to be good for Penn State as well. Hershey is in fact the second-largest source of revenue to the University’s Total Operating Budget, behind tuition. It appears that the hospital has been able to serve as a buffer against falling state appropriations.

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