Hospitals

“There is a symbiotic relationship between the health and resilience of a country’s economy, and the health and resilience of a country’s people,” notes Richard Fisher, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, in his introductory remarks. In this paper, Dallas Fed economist Elizabeth Sobel-Blum aims to provide guidance to financial institutions seeking to comply with Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) obligations—as well as their customers, partners and target communities—regarding ways to leverage neighborhood assets to build community wealth and reduce health disparities. 

In a new report from the Center for American Progress, Joel Rogers and Satya Rhodes-Conway of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) outline policies that cities can adopt to become more inclusive and sustainable. The authors espouse democratic organization as a critical component to social equity and wealth creation and highlight the critical linking of anchor procurement strategies and employee ownership, as seen in the Cleveland Model, to strengthen local economies and stabilize communities.

In September 2013, the Institute for a Sustainable Future hosted a Duluth, Minnesota conference for nearly 200 leaders active in healthcare delivery, public health, hospital administration, and community service organizations across the state. This paper builds on key lessons learned at the event and explores how the Affordable Care Act’s requirements for community engagement by hospitals can be directed to improve community health and vitality. It emphasizes how placed-based strategies can improve health outcomes, including linking anchor institutions to local procurement, employment, and housing initiatives.