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Healthcare Anchor Network (HAN) Conference Highlights Commitment to Equity

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The Healthcare Anchor Network’s mission (paraphrased) is to harness health systems’ economic power to sustainably care for the well-being of the communities they serve by addressing the structural determinants of health. Conference topics ranged from place-based investment to impact purchasing and workforce to engaging community and building internal support. Various HAN member institutions shared their efforts and best practices, from hiring justice-involved individuals to cross-health system collaborations for procurement.  The most poignant insights from this conference happened out in community. In the predominantly Black Northwest-Goldberg neighborhood of Detroit, Henry Ford Health partnered with community and local foundations to revitalize Artblock, an arts center that hosts free community events, restores abandoned homes, and added the neighborhood’s first basketball court in decades. This experience demonstrated how health systems’ commitment to equity can help address structural barriers to health by investing in neighborhood infrastructure projects.