When coronavirus caused over 1.5 million people in Ohio to file for unemployment benefits, many did not have a computer or access to the internet in order to apply for benefits. “Several residents came to my house to have me walk them through getting unemployment because they didn’t have a computer, and they didn’t know how to use the internet,” said Jones Home Neighbor Association President Rodney Lewallen.
Continue ReadingTaking a multifaceted approach to affordable housing advocacy
Healthcare Anchor Network member Saint Alphonsus Health System, a member of Trinity Health, met with Idaho and Oregon Congress members for the HAN Housing for Health Policy Day 2020 and were successful in gaining support for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), particularly by focusing on the program’s positive impact on overlooked rural communities. At the state level, the health system advocated successfully to use $15 million of state CARES Act funds for rental and utility assistance to prevent future homelessness in Idaho.
Continue ReadingBoston healthcare anchor-led initiative receives $5 million grant for inclusive local hiring & affordable housing
Healthcare Anchor Network members Boston Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital were awarded $5 million over three years from JPMorgan Chase’s “AdvancingCities” Challenge for the Boston Opportunity System Collaborative. The initiative aims to advance local inclusive hiring strategies, as well as build and preserve affordable housing.
Continue ReadingAnchor institutions investing to address racial disparities
HAN member Providence St. Joseph Health announced a new commitment of $50 million over the next five years to reduce health disparities and achieve health equity, beginning with an immediate response to the impact of COVID-19, particularly for communities of color and those disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The health system published a recent study, which found that African Americans, Asians, and Latinos had a higher risk of COVID-19 infection, as well as people with housing issues living in low-income neighborhoods.
Continue ReadingIt is undeniable: Racism is a public health crisis
39 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.”
Continue ReadingImpact investing for community centers and art spaces
Healthcare Anchor Network member UMass Memorial Health Care has announced a seven-year, $500,000 impact investment to Creative Hub Worcester, a proposed arts and events community center. The 40,000-square-foot facility can hold up to 300 people and will include two dance studios and performance space, more than a dozen small studios for artists, three classrooms, a child care center, and a rooftop event space. “Through our work with them, we learned a lot about how art really does help people from a mental health perspective,” [Creative Hub Co-founder] Marotta said of UMass Memorial Health Care.
Continue ReadingCone Health
Based in Greensboro, North Carolina, Cone Health serves people in the Alamance, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, Rockingham and surrounding counties with more than 100 locations, including six hospitals.
Continue ReadingSupporting minority-owned businesses in disinvested communities
In an article in Forbes, Healthcare Anchor Network member RWJBarnabas Health’s President and CEO Barry H. Ostrowsky and Michellene Davis, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, write about four ways that large scale corporations can begin to promote an anchor institution approach. They point out that “COVID-19 has underscored the fact that band-aid solutions cannot undo systemic barriers. The economic crisis has disproportionately impacted minority-owned businesses in already disinvested communities.”
Continue ReadingImplementing anchor mission goals while battling the pandemic
Healthcare Anchor Network member Kaiser Permanente has committed $63 million to support contact tracing in California that will involve partnering with the Public Health Institute to hire and train 500 full-time residents from the hardest hit communities to be contract tracers. In addition to a quality job, the program will be positioning these individuals for ongoing employment with training and long-term career support. The funding will also connect Californians in self-imposed isolation and quarantine with supportive services to help with essentials needs such as food, housing, and medicine.
Continue ReadingHealthcare anchors investing in affordable housing to improve health and well-being
Healthcare Anchor Network member CommonSpirit Health, along with UnitedHealthcare and Aetna, has committed $35 million in financing to launch the Home Matters Arizona Fund for affordable housing projects. The project will invest $100 million in phase one to finance community development and affordable housing projects that proactively foster connected and healthier lives. From the Home […]
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