HAN member UC Davis Health is advancing community health through its Anchor Institution Mission (AIM), an effort focused on leveraging the health system’s economic, human, and intellectual resources to support healthier and more resilient communities across the Sacramento region. Central to AIM is workforce development that expands inclusive recruitment, strengthens local employment pathways, and increases access to job training and skill building. Together, these strategies promote economic opportunity while helping the health system meet regional workforce needs.
As highlighted in reporting by Mirage News, AIM reflects UC Davis Health’s role as a trusted partner and cornerstone institution in Northern California. The initiative recognizes that improving health outcomes requires addressing the broader social and economic conditions that shape people’s lives. Kaitlin Yap, a nurse recently hired at UC Davis Health, noted that the system’s large service area brings both responsibility and opportunity to positively influence the social determinants of health for local communities.
This place-based approach is echoed across HAN’s network. UC San Francisco advances similar goals through its Community Construction Outreach Program, which partners with the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development and CityBuild to expand local hiring for in-demand construction jobs. The program was recently spotlighted in a conversation between Daniel Lurie and a CityBuild pre-apprenticeship participant, underscoring how anchor institutions can connect community members to quality careers.
Together, these efforts demonstrate how anchor operations can move beyond traditional service delivery to strengthen local economies, expand opportunity, and improve community health outcomes.