HUNTSVILLE — The Huntsville Hospital Health System (HHHS) encompasses 14 hospitals serving a 16-county service area in two states. The not-for-profit health system based in Madison County is one of the region’s largest employers and contributes more than $4.2 billion annually to the North Alabama economy.
System President and CEO Jeff Samz said the health system plays a dual role in economic development in the region: providing essential healthcare services and creating jobs.
“We need to make sure that every community has good healthcare,” he said. “So when a company comes to look, they feel comfortable bringing their employees there.”
Samz points to the acquisition of Highlands Medical Center in Scottsboro in October 2021.
“If you’re going to attract industry to places like Jackson County and Scottsboro, they want to see a local hospital,” he said. “And we’re really proud of what we’ve been able to do with Highlands Medical Center and the service we can provide there.”
In addition to the flagship campus in Huntsville, the system operates hospitals in Madison, Athens, Decatur, Boaz, Guntersville, Fort Payne, Moulton, Red Bay, Sheffield and Scottsboro, and Fayetteville, Tenn.
“Our philosophy with this is if you can be taken care of safely in your home hospital, we want to make sure we make that happen,” Samz said. “So we don’t want you to have to come to Huntsville, if we can care for you in Decatur or Sheffield or Athens.”
A more than $61 million investment in Boaz led to the creation of a patient tower at Marshall Medical South in 2023. Huntsville Hospital Health System merged with Marshall Medical Centers in 2018.
“It’s an absolutely beautiful facility,” said Samz. “We are investing in all the hospitals to make sure they stay up to par.”
Being part of the Huntsville Hospital Health System also provides specialized care in smaller communities, said Samz.
“We’ve invested a lot in our telemedicine program where a specialist in Huntsville can help people in their local hospital,” he said. “But when you need that specialized care that requires multiple medical specialties and really intensive care, you are connected so you can easily get it in Huntsville.”
Samz said Huntsville has become a healthcare destination, leading to job creation.
“I’ll just take Madison County, for example, about half of our health system is in Madison County and we have a multibillion-dollar impact on the local economy,” he said. “And about half the patients we care for in Madison County don’t live in the county and come into town for care because of the specialized services we provide.”
Patients opting for healthcare in North Alabama as opposed to Birmingham or Nashville is an economic driver, said Samz.
“It makes a vibrant economy because we’re hiring doctors, we’re hiring nurses, they’re buying groceries, they’re paying mortgages,” he said. “Being a healthcare destination for specialized medical care in Huntsville, it is an absolute driver of the local economy and job growth, while at the same time making the community attractive to bring business.”
As the largest North Alabama employer outside Redstone Arsenal, the HHHS employs more than 20,000 employees at an average salary of more than $60,000 per year.
“There’s a November Department of Labor report that had us as the most jobs posted of any company in the state,” said Samz. “1,200 jobs posted and our average salary for a full time person is about $62,400 per year.
“Which is well above the per capita for Alabama.”
Samz highlighted HHHS employs an 82% female workforce.
“We are very much a female-oriented workforce and we have to do things to make sure we’re friendly to working moms and a place for people who are who are trying to juggle a lot of things can come to work,” he said.
Training programs and educational partnerships are also a key focus, with local partnerships with educational institutions to provide healthcare training.
“We’re so proud of the training programs that we have internally, we have hundreds and hundreds of students that we train ourselves in what we call Corporate University,” he said.
Samz said HHHS also partners with local higher education institutions on a number of degree and certification programs.
“We have partnerships with Calhoun, Drake and UAH and Northeast Alabama and Alabama A&M,” he said. “Just tremendous cooperation with the local higher education community.”
Collaboration is a theme Samz comes back to in remarking on the rapid growth in the regions.
“I think that the secret to the region’s success has been the spirit of cooperation among elected and other community leaders to work together for original success,” he said. “The spirit of cooperation both in the local economy and then and across the Tennessee Valley is what has enabled the success not only in Huntsville, but in the greater region.
“It’s a great time to be here.”
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our email newsletter to have all our smart stories delivered to your inbox.
