Biden in Philly to talk green jobs, hospitals buy wind

Vice President Joe Biden is in Philadelphia today, launching an initiative focused on creating green jobs in middle class communities.
He rides through University City in the same week that several prominent Philadelphia hospitals announced they would buy wind-power as part of sustainability efforts.
The hospitals involved in the group purchase are Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Frankford Hospitals, Thomas Jefferson University, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Inc., Main Line Health System, and Magee Rehabilitation, according to an Einstein press release.
Biden will be part of the first hearing of the middle-class task force, meeting in the Irvine Auditorium at the University of Pennsylvania. Presentations at the invitation-only event will focus on the potential of green jobs to motivate economic recovery and discuss ways to train workers for those jobs.
Jobs that focus on improving the environment pay as much as 20 percent more than other work, according to a draft copy of a report to be released at today’s event, according to the Inquirer.
The hospital-purchased wind power will be generated by winds in Schuylkill and Columbia counties and is expected to supply about a third of their electricity for a decade. More than 50 wind turbines manufactured in Bucks County will be used for the wind farm, which should be operational by the end of March. An Einstein spokesman said the hospital expects that the move will save it $4.5 million during the 10 years, the Inquirer reported.
Einstein recently announced plans to digitize their patient records, as Technically Philly recently reported.
Wind turbine manufacturing and wind-farm operation are likely the type of positions Biden will be boosting today. No news on whether Biden is bringing those types of jobs to West Philadelphia with him.