In March 2008, Inland Hospital and Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems contracted with study partners, Maine Development Foundation and Michael Donihue, Professor of Economics at Colby College, to measure Inland Hospital's economic contribution to the central Maine economy. The project included three parts:

1. A regional demographic and socioeconomic analysis
2. An economic multiplier analysis including the contributions to the local economy
3. Analyses of employee-commute patterns

Currently, the central Maine region, covering the southern portions of Kennebec County and parts of Somerset County, is served by two medical centers: Inland Hospital and MaineGeneral Medical Center. Inland Hospital, a 48-bed hospital, is located on a single campus in Waterville. MaineGeneral Medical Center, a 287-bed medical center, is comprised of four primary campuses spread between Augusta and Waterville. These hospitals, like most in poorer, rural areas, not only provide important medical services, but serve as major employers in the area and are important contributors to the local economy. To understand the full contribution of the hospital to the local area, Inland Hospital asked the Maine Development Foundation to assess the organization's current contribution to the regional economy including its full economic multiplier effects.