As the links between physical health and community wealth and vitality become clearer all the time, fourteen regional and national health systems are coming together to commit at least $700 million to investments in affordable housing and economic development in the cities where they’re located. “I think hospitals and health systems are really well poised […]
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‘Good neighbors’? U.S. hospitals invest in land, housing to treat crisis
This month, Bon Secours was one of 14 healthcare systems across the United States that committed to over $700 million in “place-based” investments, with a primary goal being the development of affordable housing. They are all part of a group called the Healthcare Anchor Network (HAN), a project of the Washington-based research group Democracy Collaborative.“It […]
Continue ReadingHealth System Leaders Announce over $700 Million in Investments to Address Health, Housing & Economic Inequalities through Community Wealth Building
Fourteen hospitals and health systems, including national health systems and regional systems, that are the largest private sector employers in California, Utah, and Wisconsin, along with others that are also among the top 20 largest employers in their states, announced a commitment of over $700 million for place-based investing to create strong and healthy communities.
Continue ReadingPlace-based Investing Commitment
In signing the Healthcare Anchor Network’s (HAN) Place-based Investing Commitment, health systems commit to redirecting a portion of their investable assets toward impact investments that are place-based and address community conditions that create economic, health, and environmental disparities. The goal of these investments is to improve community health and well-being, particularly for those impacted by […]
Continue ReadingHospitals to Help Tackle Economic Drivers of Health Disparities
The national campaign marks the first time that a number of large health systems—such as RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey, UMass Memorial Health Care in Massachusetts, Advocate Aurora Health in Wisconsin, and Intermountain Healthcare in Utah—have collectively pledged to make such impact investments. Kaiser Permanente plans to make one of the largest, at $200 million, to help […]
Continue ReadingWhy hospitals want to invest in affordable housing
“We’re trying to think about this as a strategy,” says David Zuckerman, director of the Healthcare Anchor Network. “It isn’t a one-time check to the community. This should be one of the ways health systems go back to improving health and well-being for the entire community.” Read the full article at Curbed
Continue ReadingAdvancing 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. It […]
Continue ReadingCan 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?
Continue ReadingEmbracing 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.
Continue ReadingThe 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.
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