Healthcare Anchor Network

In December 2016, leaders from 40 health systems across the U.S. gathered in Washington, DC to explore how their systems could more fully harness their economic power to inclusively and sustainably benefit the long-term health and well-being of the communities they serve. This convening led to the launch of the Healthcare Anchor Network in May 2017, representing a critical milestone in mobilizing the healthcare sector towards action and collaboration. HAN exists to incubate and scale strategies that establish the anchor mission as a healthcare sector priority and to lead innovation in anchor mission implementation, both internally and in partnership with community. We aim to define the healthcare leadership standard and promote industry collaboration for proactively addressing economic and racial inequities in community conditions that create poor health (or what is sometimes referred to as structural determinants of health). The long-term goal is to reach a critical mass of health systems adopting as an institutional priority to improve community health and well-being by leveraging all their assets, including hiring, purchasing, and investment for equitable, local economic impact. We seek to address root causes: economic and racial inequities that create barriers to health and thriving for people and communities. We value equity, community well-being, and sustainability as core principles of healthy communities. The Network is supported through a backbone organization (The Democracy Collaborative, with support from CoCreative Consulting). Founding members of the Healthcare Anchor Network include Advocate Aurora Health, CommonSpirit Health, Henry Ford Health System, Kaiser Permanente, ProMedica, Providence St. Joseph Health, Rush University Medical Center, RWJBarnabas Health, Trinity Health, and UMass Memorial Health Care. Today, 60 hospitals and health systems are Network members.