An article in Shelterforce article details how Healthcare Anchor Network member Dignity Health (now CommonSpirit Health – a merger between Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives completed on January 31, 2019) stepped in to fund a stalled affordable housing project in San Bernardino’s core neighborhoods.
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Chicago hospitals helping employees in nonclinical, entry-level positions advance their careers
Healthcare Anchor Network members Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Rush University Medical Center, together with NorthShore University Health System and the University of Chicago Medicine, and in collaboration with community groups (such as Westside United) and public institutions, have created the Medical Assistant Pathway Program to give employees the opportunity to complete certification programs to fill high-demand registered medical assistant and phlebotomy technician jobs.
Continue ReadingAAMC: Breathing Life into Local Economies
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) News covered how medical schools and teaching hospitals are increasingly collaborating with local communities to improve health by dealing with economic barriers. HAN and HAN members Rush University Medical Center, University Hospitals and Evergreen Cooperatives (formed by University Hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University, and the Cleveland Foundation) were highlighted.
Continue ReadingThe Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is an anchor institution member of the just-launched Philadelphia Anchors for Growth & Equity (PAGE)
PAGE is a recently-launched partnership between the Economy League, the City of Philadelphia, Healthcare Anchor Network member Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and more than a dozen Philadelphia-area institutions. PAGE looks to “increase local purchasing by large institutional buyers to grow Philadelphia businesses, strengthen the local economy, create jobs, and build wealth.”
Continue ReadingProMedica’s “Market on the Green,” a full-service grocery store, offers fresh and affordable healthy food choices in a designated food desert
The Wall Street Journal’s “Take Two Aspirin—and a Serving of Kale: Wielding food as medicine, hospitals are focusing on nutrition, sending patients home with prescriptions as well as bags of good food” article covered the important work of Healthcare Anchor Network member ProMedica and other health systems and hospitals taking measures to prevent and treat illness through diet. They are looking to meet the nutritional needs of patients through a variety of innovative ways, including providing access to fresh fruits and vegetables. This project was one of the case studies in The Democracy Collaborative’s “Place-based Investing” toolkit.
Continue ReadingNew data tool shows that job growth alone is not a cure for place-based poverty
The Opportunity Atlas, a new data tool, allows us to answer the question: Which neighborhoods in America offer children the best chance to rise out of poverty? The big news is that the data found no association between job growth and economic mobility for poor residents. What ended up happening when there were hiring booms is that disadvantaged local residents were bypassed.
Continue ReadingThe Role of Healthcare Institutions in Building Community Wealth & Addressing the SDOH
In a new article published in The Wharton Healthcare Quarterly, David Zuckerman and Bich Ha Pham of The Democracy Collaborative discuss the smart, bold leadership that Healthcare Anchor Network members are engaged in with their anchor mission work. The Democracy Collaborative urges other health systems from across the country to join the effort to do forward-thinking work in order to address the systemic nature of economic inequities and their impact on health and well-being.
Continue ReadingHealthcare Anchor Network members addressing the social determinants of health
The Wall Street Journal’s “Health Care Looks Beyond Medicine to Social Factors” article covered the good work of four Healthcare Anchor Network members in addressing the social determinants of health: Geisinger Health System, Rush University Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente and Boston Medical Center.
Continue ReadingA healthcare anchor supporting permanently affordable housing
An article in Next City covers The Democracy Collaborative’s new report Community Control of Land & Housing: Exploring strategies for combating displacement, expanding ownership, and building community wealth. The report discusses strategies related to land and housing that can help create inclusive, participatory, and sustainable economies built on locally-rooted, broad-based ownership of place-based assets. HAN member Bon Secours’ work with the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust in Richmond, Virginia was highlighted.
Continue ReadingBreaking Through the Social Determinants of Health for the Sake of Children
Madeline Bell, CEO of Healthcare Anchor Network member Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), writes for US News & World Report about their work to overcome the negative health impacts of SDOH, particularly for the sake of children. CHOP has teamed with Penn, Drexel and other anchor institutions in West Philadelphia to invest in University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative. This workforce development program connects the un- and under-employed to jobs with local employers.
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