 The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2019 list of the healthiest counties in the U.S. focused on access to good and affordable housing as a pressing health issue. Another housing and health report by Enterprise’s Health Begins with Home initiative included survey results showing that renters often delay regular medical visits and forego treatment plans, particularly people who pay a large part of their income for rent. Read More: MarketWatch | Curbed
 MetroHealth announced that all employees will receive a $15 minimum wage increase as part of its commitment to give all full-time employees the ability to earn a self-sustaining income. Cleveland Clinic announced last December that it would raise the minimum wage for hourly employees to $15 by 2020. The minimum wage in Ohio is $8.55 an hour and the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
“MetroHealth’s mission is to care for everyone and that includes our employees,” said Akram Boutros, MD, FACHE, president and CEO of MetroHealth. “It’s important, at every level of the organization, that the 7,800 people here who spend their days caring for others know how important they are, feel valued and are able to support their families. Their financial health is just as important as their physical health.” Read More: Crain | WCPN Chicago Hospitals form the Chicago HEAL Initiative (Hospital Engagement, Action, and Leadership)4/13/2019
 HAN is highlighted in this Shelterforce article, along with Enterprise Community Partners, the Center for Community Investment, and the Nonprofit Finance Fund, as organizations working with health care institutions, community development organizations, and other stakeholders to invest in the health of a community.
The piece included the good work of HAN members Dignity Health, ProMedica, Bon Secours Mercy Health, and Boston Medical Center. “We’re very focused on human resources, the supply chain, and core businesses practices that could more powerfully address the issues of poverty and other disparities,” says [David] Zuckerman, HAN Director. “These are systemic problems, and we’re not going to address them by writing a few more checks. It’s about aligning and leveraging resources differently.” The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report, "Economic and Social Impacts and Benefits of Health Systems," which provides evidence and practical methods to show that the health sector is essential to a stable and functioning economy. This report seeks to assist European policy-makers by providing guidance and tools to engage in stronger dialogue and prevent disinvestment in health.  HAN member Fairview Health Services' Health East is working with the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) in St. Paul, Minnesota to provide access to healthy food for families experiencing food insecurity who are economically challenged to put healthy food on the table. This is particularly vital for people struggling with chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Veggie Rx serves disadvantaged individuals including refugees who are referred to the program by HealthEast doctors by delivering free Community Supported Agriculture vegetables to four HealthEast clinics where patients can pick them up. By partnering with HAFA to supply these vegetables, the program's procurement design also helps address underlying economic determinants of community health. HAFA was created to address economic disparities for immigrant and urban farmers. For instance, Hmong farmers have less access to land and on average make $5,000 in sales per acre, compared to white farmers who make $8,000 per acre. Veggie Rx has been tremendously successful and is a win-win for the patients, farmers, and community.  Photo Credit: The Sorenson Impact Center Intermountain Healthcare announced a commitment to local impact investing as a part of its commitment to improving health in the communities it serves. Marc Harrison, MD, Intermountain’s CEO and president, and Mikelle Moore, Intermountain’s senior vice-president of community health (pictured above), made the announcement at the Sorenson Impact Winter Innovation Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Intermountain’s impact investing could be utilized to address community projects that work with the social (or non-medical) determinants of health. Those are the community conditions that can affect someone’s overall health, including housing instability, food insecurity, education, and transportation.  On February 28, 2019, the Healthcare Anchor Network (HAN) convened its members in Washington, D.C. for "Housing for Health" Policy Day, an inaugural event on Capitol Hill which saw Congressional and Administration staff, national healthcare associations, housing advocacy groups, and philanthropy organizations attend a federal policy briefing about the impact of economic determinants on health and the universal need for stable, affordable, and healthy housing. 17 HAN member health systems attended the event, and 21 health systems signed onto a Principles for Healthy and Affordable Housing document that was shared with Congressional members. Together, these health systems represent more than 500 hospitals in 37 states.
HAN members spoke powerfully about the connection between housing and health outcomes. Dr. Samuel Ross, Chief Community Health Officer with Bon Secours Mercy Health; Dr. Thea James, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Vice President of Mission, and Director of the Violence Intervention Advocacy Program with Boston Medical Center; and Dr. Bechara Choucair, SVP and Chief Community Health Officer with Kaiser Permanente presented on the work their health systems are leading to invest in housing in the communities they serve and the need for further funding of affordable housing programs. Two Congressional members spoke about the need for affordable housing: Rep. Jim McGovern, Chair, Rules Committee and Co-Chair, House Hunger Caucus, and Rep. Katie Hill, Co-Chair, New Democrat Coalition’s Housing Task Force. Here are some highlights about Policy Day from Twitter. Read the Healthcare Anchor Network's "Principles for Healthy and Affordable Housing" document. Read about how HAN members are investing in affordable housing. |
