New Jersey's 73 acute-care hospitals contributed 145,000 jobs and $18 billion in spending to local and state economies in 2008, according to a new report from the New Jersey Hospital Association. "In this sagging economy, New Jersey's hospitals provide not only health care services, but also an economic shot-in-the-arm," said NJHA President and CEO Betsy Ryan. "Their communities can count on them to provide endless benefits through jobs, local spending and community health services." The report examines hospitals' contributions statewide and by county, as well as the economic contributions of individual hospitals to their local communities.