The following resources are intended to help health systems to advance an anchor mission approach within their health institutions.
Featured resources
The Hospitals Aligned for Healthy Communities toolkit series is designed to provide hospital and health system leadership and department managers with the steps to begin to harness their everyday operations to drive community health and well-being.
The toolkit series was developed with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to accelerate a new model in healthcare that builds community health into core business practices.
Inclusive, Local Hiring Toolkit
This toolkit offers a guide for how to leverage hiring practices to advance inclusive, local job creation and career development for communities experiencing the greatest health and wealth disparities.
Impact Purchasing Toolkit
This toolkit showcases examples of how hospitals and health systems are supporting diverse and locally owned vendors and helping to incubate new community enterprises to fill supply chain gaps and drive local economic growth in their communities.
Place-based Investing Toolkit
This toolkit outlines place-based investing strategies that allow health systems to earn a financial return on their investments while producing a positive social, economic, or environmental impact within their geographical service areas.
The Anchor Mission Playbook
Written by Rush University Medical Center, with support from Chicago Anchors for a Strong Economy, the Civic Consulting Alliance, and The Democracy Collaborative, this playbook offers recommendations drawn from research carried out to help Rush University Medical Center align around its Anchor Mission. These findings are intended to help other hospitals and health systems accelerate their own efforts to drive institutional alignment with community needs.
Embracing an Anchor Mission
Written by Randy Oostra, CEO of ProMedica, with the support of David Zuckerman and Katie Parker from The Democracy Collaborative, this report offers an in-depth look at how ProMedica—a member of the Healthcare Anchor Network —aligned its institutional operations and clinical practice to better tackle the social determinants of health. From an innovative hospital-owned grocery store in a food desert to investments in preserving affordable housing, this playbook details the Toledo, Ohio-based health system’s decade-long journey to understand how their resources could be used for the wellbeing of the communities they serve.
Can Hospitals Heal America’s Communities?
Healthcare’s role in creating healthy communities through increasing access to quality care, research, and grantmaking is being complemented by a higher impact approach; hospitals and integrated health systems are increasingly stepping outside of their walls to address the social, economic, and environmental conditions that contribute to poor health outcomes, shortened lives, and higher costs in the first place. Can hospitals and health systems heal America’s communities?
Table of Contents
- Case Studies
- Infographics
- Tools for Defining the Organizational Imperative
- Resources for Advancing the Anchor Mission
- More Resources
Case Studies
University Hospitals Hiring and Training Programs
University Hospitals’ (UH)’s intentional hiring pipelines and paid training programs are explored in a new case study. The case study covers the program’s inception and design, strategies employed, and key stakeholders involved. Outside-in programs are…
Read or download University Hospitals Hiring and Training Programs
UMass Memorial Health Care Community Investing Program
UMass Memorial Health (UMMH)’s Community Investing Program is explored in a new case study. The case study covers the program’s inception and design, strategies employed, and key stakeholders involved. It also discusses several of the…
Read or download UMass Memorial Health Care Community Investing Program
Rush University System for Health
Rush University System for Health’s comprehensive anchor mission Business Supplier Diversity initiatives are featured in our latest case study. As an anchor institution that has adopted the anchor mission, Rush is focused on improving the…
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System’s (FMOLHS) The Faith Fund
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System’s (FMOLHS) partnered with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge in October 2018 to launch The Faith Fund, a micro-loan investment fund to address a key driver of…
Read or download Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System’s (FMOLHS) The Faith Fund
Kaiser Permanente’s Futuro Health
Kaiser Permanente’s Futuro Health initiative is explored in a new case study. The case study covers the program’s history, design and implementation. Futuro Health creates education journeys into allied health careers. Futuro Health’s model currently focuses…
ProMedica’s Place-based Investment Program
ProMedica’s Place-based Investment Program is explored in a new case study. As an anchor institution, ProMedica is committed to focusing on upstream health needs and improving the economic prosperity of the communities it serves. ProMedica…
Trinity Health’s Community Investment Program
Trinity Health’s Community Investment Program is explored in a new case study. The case study covers the program’s history, design and implementation. The purpose of the program is to support projects, or loan pools, that…
Read or download Trinity Health’s Community Investment Program
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Healthier Together Initiative
In 2019, HAN member Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) launched the Healthier Together Initiative, a $25 million, five year commitment to address the SDOH in the neighborhoods surrounding the hospital. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) leverages their…
Read or download Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Healthier Together Initiative
Kaiser Permanente Thriving Communities Fund
Kaiser Permanente’s Thriving Communities Fund is explored in a new case study. The case study covers the program’s inception and design, strategies employed, partnerships, key stakeholders involved. It also explores several of the program’s projects,…
Read or download Kaiser Permanente Thriving Communities Fund
CommonSpirit Health Community Investment Program
CommonSpirit Health’s Community Investment Program is explored in a new case study. The case study covers the program’s inception and design, strategies employed, and key stakeholders involved. It also discusses several of the program’s projects,…
Read or download CommonSpirit Health Community Investment Program
Rush University System for Health Impact Investing Fund
Rush University System for Health’s (RUSH) Impact Investing Fund (“the Fund”) is explored in a new case study. The case study covers the Fund’s inception and design, strategies employed, and key stakeholders involved. In addition,…
Read or download Rush University System for Health Impact Investing Fund
Intermountain Healthcare Local Impact Investing
Intermountain Healthcare’s local impact investing work is explored in a new case study. The case study covers the program’s inception and design, strategies employed, and key stakeholders involved. It also explores one of the program’s…
Read or download Intermountain Healthcare Local Impact Investing
Rush University Medical Center (RUMC)
The RUMC: Collaborating with community stakeholders case study shares how the anchor mission strategy provided an opportunity for RUMC to engage the community in new ways to ensure that its work was in line with the real world…
Henry Ford Health System Cardinal Health Distribution Center Case Study
Cardinal committed to moving its warehouse operations from a location outside of Detroit into the neighborhood adjacent to Henry Ford Hospital. Distribution Warehouse represents a $30 million investment. Four local entities joined to build the…
Read or download Henry Ford Health System Cardinal Health Distribution Center Case Study
Infographics
Improving Health Through Hiring
This infographic shows how hospitals, health systems and other anchor institutions can improve community health and build community wealth through their everyday hiring and training practices.
Inclusive, Local Hiring: “Outside-In” and “Inside-Up” Strategies
This infographic provides a quick overview of how “outside-in” and “inside-up” strategies work together to create a more inclusive workforce.
Read or download Inclusive, Local Hiring: “Outside-In” and “Inside-Up” Strategies
Inclusive, Local Purchasing: Creating Connections, Building Capacity
The infographic below provides a quick overview of how connection-creating and capacity-building strategies can work together to advance local, inclusive sourcing.
Read or download Inclusive, Local Purchasing: Creating Connections, Building Capacity
Place-Based Investing: Creating Sustainable Returns and Strong Communities
The infographic below provides a quick overview of how place-based investing can create sustainable returns and strong communities.
Read or download Place-Based Investing: Creating Sustainable Returns and Strong Communities
The Health Sector and the Healthcare Anchor Network Employer Maps
These maps were created to show the central role of hospitals and health systems as significant employers in their local economies.
Read or download The Health Sector and the Healthcare Anchor Network Employer Maps
The Procurement Sweet Spot
This infographic shows how hospitals, health systems and other anchor institutions can leverage their everyday building and buying to improve community health and build community wealth.
Tools for Defining the Organizational Imperative
These tools can be used to help articulate the organizational imperative for adopting an Anchor Mission at your hospital or health system.
Inclusive, Local Hiring Overview
One-pager on inclusive, local hiring and workforce development with case studies, key strategies, and tips for getting started.
Inclusive, Local Procurement Overview
One-pager on inclusive, local purchasing with case studies, key strategies, and tips for getting started.
Place-based Investment Overview
One-pager on place-based investment with case studies, key strategies, and tips for getting started.
Presentation on Healthcare’s Anchor Mission
This slide deck can be used to make the case internally for adopting an anchor mission at your hospital or health system. It articulates the moral, business, and community imperative for aligning all assets, including core business practices, to prioritize equity, inclusion, sustainability and community.
Read or download Presentation on Healthcare’s Anchor Mission
Social and Economic Determinants of Health: The Evidence is Clear
Summary of research that connects economic inclusion with improving health outcomes.
Read or download Social and Economic Determinants of Health: The Evidence is Clear
Resources for Advancing the Anchor Mission
Higher Education’s Anchor Mission: A Sharpened Imperative & A Framework for Action
The paper by the Healthcare Anchor Network (HAN) and the Coalition of Urban & Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) “rearticulates the goals of the anchor mission and positions it as a framework through which higher education institutions can more fully realize their commitment to the public good and make more equitable the local economies they support and often underpin.” Download or read
Read or download Higher Education’s Anchor Mission: A Sharpened Imperative & A Framework for Action
Anchor Collaboratives: Building bridges with place-based partnerships and anchor institutions
Healthcare Anchor Network’s director of communication and policy Bich Ha Pham co-authored the report Anchor Collaboratives: Building Bridges with Place-Based Partnerships and Anchor Institutions, which discusses the role of anchor institutions and collaboratives in leveraging the power of their economic assets to address social and economic disparities and to revitalize local communities. The report focuses on the work of anchor institutions and partner organizations that have joined to form place-based networks, or anchor collaboratives, to develop, implement, and support shared goals and initiatives that advance equitable and inclusive economic development strategies. Anchor mission work is not easy, but our hope is that this…
Advancing the Anchor Mission of Healthcare
In December 2016, leaders from 40 health systems gathered in Washington, DC to explore the potential to more fully harness their economic power to inclusively and sustainably benefit the long-term well-being of American communities. This report summarizes the events of the convening and presents the health systems’ collective vision of the Healthcare Anchor Network.
The Anchor Mission: Leveraging the Power of Anchor Institutions to Build Community Wealth
This report from The Democracy Collaborative and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT focuses on the path-breaking Vision 2010 Program implemented in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio by University Hospitals System.
More Resources
Anchor Mission Communications Toolkit
Hospitals and health systems and other anchor institutions from across the country are adopting an “anchor mission” to tackle the underlying economic and social determinants of community health outcomes and community well being. But how can both the what and the why of this new transformative approach be effectively communicated, inside and outside your institution?
Anchor Mission Communications Toolkit Resources
The Anchor Mission Communications Toolkit Resources is a list of resources and information referred to in the Anchor Mission Communications Toolkit, produced by the Healthcare Anchor Network (HAN) in collaboration with Rush University Medical Center (Rush) with links to directly access these resources.
Read or download Anchor Mission Communications Toolkit Resources
Anchor Mission Implementation Roadmap
This roadmap collects common milestones in the Anchor Mission implementation journey and shares examples of how health systems have educated staff on community needs and the Anchor Mission vision, created new staff positions to advance anchor strategies, developed dashboards to track progress, and more.
Community Benefit & Community Health Needs Assessment Checklist
Authored by CHAN Healthcare for the Healthcare Anchor Network, with input from the Healthcare Anchor Network’s Collaborating with Community Stakeholders initiative group, this document presents best practices for aligning Community Benefit and Community Health Needs Assessment processes.
Read or download Community Benefit & Community Health Needs Assessment Checklist
Healthy Communities Policy Framework
This document, created by the Aligning to Advance Policy Initiative Group of the Healthcare Anchor Network, outlines the foundational elements of a policy agenda to create equitable, engaged, connected and economically strong communities.
Hospitals Building Healthier Communities
This 2013 report from The Democracy Collaborative explores how health systems are addressing the upstream social and economic determinants of health.
How Healthcare Anchor Network Members are Making Place-Based Investment Commitments to Address the Upstream Determinants of Health
Place-based Investment: The Healthcare Anchor Network defines Place-based investing (PBI) as an impact investment approach that targets positive social, economic, and environmental impacts in specific communities and geographies of need (i.e., underfunded and/or underserved populations), while achieving a modest financial return (i.e., one that is less than market rate for that asset class). The purpose of place-based investments is to address financing gaps in the marketplace by adding affordable and flexible capital for community projects. In a place-based investment, at least the principal of the investment should be preserved for the institution, and the funds are reflected on the…
Reimagining Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Supply Chains
The Healthcare Anchor Network’s (HAN) white paper Reimagining Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Supply Chains calls for national leadership and healthcare sector collaboration to create PPE production capacity for American sourced and manufactured supplies. The white paper was released at the HAN Anchoring Resilience: Aligning Supply Chains and Impact Purchasing for Community Health summit on November 18, 2020. The white paper details the current status of the supply chain of PPE, the market shifts caused by COVID-19, and the potential solutions to ensure capacity within US health systems for the future. It includes interviews with 17 HAN member senior supply…
Read or download Reimagining Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Supply Chains