Hospitals play a critical role in advancing the health of communities beyond providing medical care or community benefit dollars. As anchor institutions, hospitals can drive place-based change and improve health outcomes through local hiring, procurement, and other efforts that address the social, economic, and environmental factors that shape health. A growing number of hospitals and health care systems are looking to build healthy neighborhoods through more targeted use of their investment capital. As more hospitals explore this model, there are growing opportunities to partner with philanthropy, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and other sectors investing in the health of communities.
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