Healthcare Anchor Network
Join a growing national collaboration of 70+ leading healthcare systems building more inclusive and sustainable local economies
You can’t create equitable health outcomes for America’s communities without tackling the underlying economic and racial disparities that drive them—the structural determinants of health. Healthcare Anchor Network members are committed to making sure their institutional and operational resources are aligned with their clinical mission.
It is undeniable: Racism is a public health crisis
40 health systems in 45 states and Washington, DC have committed to addressing racism and the public health disparities caused by racism. “As members and leaders of many healthcare organizations across the nation addressing the disproportionate Black and Brown mortality of the COVID-19 pandemic, we say without hesitation that Black Lives Matter.”
“Systemic racism results in generational trauma and poverty, while also unquestionably causing higher rates of illness and death in Black and Indigenous communities and communities of color. We must double down on our efforts. We stand united as frontline organizations against racism, injustice and inaction and commit to specific steps to help overcome the healthcare disparities in the communities we serve.”
Join the Healthcare Anchor Network to…
With 70+ health systems (and counting) represented in the Network, we bring together anchor institutions from across the country that together employ more than 2 million people, purchase over $75 billion annually, and have over $150 billion in investment assets.
The Healthcare Anchor Network spotlighted in the New York Times
Featured News: When a Steady Paycheck Is Good Medicine
The New York Times traces the genesis of the Healthcare Anchor Network model for anchor institution engagement with the democratic economy from its origins in Cleveland with the Evergreen Cooperatives. It follows this thread through the creation of the Healthcare Anchor Network, which brings together hospitals and health systems in an increasingly impactful collaboration to align the nonprofit healthcare sector as a whole with what we have called the “anchor mission.”
The latest news from the field
How Healthcare Anchors are Improving Community Health Outcomes
by Emily Hough, 2021-22 Harkness Fellow and Senior Fellow at Brown University It is now well evidenced that the health services people receive are a relatively small contributor to their overall health outcomes. Up to 90 percent of an individual’s health outcomes are driven by wider social determinants of health (SDOH), so what role should…
Continue Reading How Healthcare Anchors are Improving Community Health Outcomes
HAN Annual Convening: Anchor Mission Champions
Thanks to our health system members and supporters for making the Healthcare Anchor Network Annual Convening: Detroit 2022 such a success! HAN member health systems convened to deepen their anchor mission approach, a community asset- and place-based transformative strategy for addressing economic, racial, and health inequities to create inclusive, prosperous communities. It is precisely during these challenging…
Continue Reading HAN Annual Convening: Anchor Mission Champions
Increasing investments in the social & economic influencers of health
HAN members Advocate Aurora Health, Ascension Health, Froedtert Health, and SSM Health that have operations in Wisconsin were spotlighted in a special report on the role of anchor mission strategies in addressing upstream conditions that impact health. Other HAN members’ activities to address the social determinants of health were also covered, including CommonSpirit Health, Kaiser Permanente, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. …
Continue Reading Increasing investments in the social & economic influencers of health
Removing financial barriers to economic security through investing
HAN member BJC HealthCare is investing to expand the scope of nonprofit lender Justine PETERSON’s DRIVE auto refinancing loan program, an innovative program that assists low-to-moderate income drivers who may have challenging credit situations or may have been victims of predatory lending. The drivers can obtain a competitive interest rate compared to financing terms that can be as…
Continue Reading Removing financial barriers to economic security through investing
Hospital and Health System Members of the Healthcare Anchor Network include:
Affiliate Members in the Healthcare Anchor Network include:
“An anchor mission means sustainably investing in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, addressing not just health disparities, but economic and racial inequities as well.”
–– David Zuckerman, President & Founder of the Healthcare Anchor Network
