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 $100 billion annually, and have $200 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
New HAN member
Welcome UCI Health to the HAN membership! The health system is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine and has over 8,000 employees. The UCI Medical Center is a 459-bed acute care hospital. UCI Health provides over 1 million outpatient visits annually.
Upskilling: Improving patient outcomes & closing the health equity gap
HAN member Bon Secours Mercy Health’s impact workforce program’s career pathways and education and skills initiatives help lead to a diverse workforce and can improve health equity. From the Forbes article: “Providing our employees opportunities to learn, grow and advance within the health system has enhanced our culture of belonging and boosted retention rates,” says Stapleton, Chief Diversity…
Continue Reading Upskilling: Improving patient outcomes & closing the health equity gap
Business ownership racial wealth gap & anchor purchasing
HAN member Maimonides Medical Center helped to found Brooklyn Communities Collaborative (BCC), a nonprofit that convenes community and institutional partners to strengthen health, wealth, and leadership in Brooklyn communities. BCC’s participatory action research provides insights from Black entrepreneurs and business owners on their successes, challenges, and potential to become healthcare suppliers and contractors. Maimonides Health and One Brooklyn…
Continue Reading Business ownership racial wealth gap & anchor purchasing
Writing prescriptions for electricity
As part of HAN member Boston Medical Center’s (BMC) Clean Power Prescription program, BMC will use energy credits generated from a new solar array on its administrative building to help reduce patients’ electric bills. BMC was able to make this happen through the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which offers subsidies for more than half the cost of installation of…
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
