Recognizing the important role that they have in their communities, healthcare institutions can act as “Anchor Institutions” – large organizations that improve health and wellbeing in their communities through employment, procurement and maintenance of land and buildings. Anchor networks allow anchor institutions to work together to support their goals.
In addition to addressing the social determinants of health, many of the actions taken by Anchor Institutions can reduce their environmental impact and support the transition to high-quality, sustainable health systems.
Playbook: Strategic Planning for Planetary Health and Sustainable Care
Cruz, A, Simms, N, Ritcey, G, MacNeill, A, Miller, F. Sustainability Embedded Quality Improvement (SE-QI) Playbook. Version 1.0. [Internet]. CASCADES; 2026 [cited DATE]. Available from: https://new.cascadescanada.ca/.
Playbook: Organizational Readiness for Sustainability
This Population Health series explores the concept of population health and the role a hospital can play in producing population health. The series also offers local and international examples of health systems that have reached beyond their walls to improve the health of their communities.
Recognizing that planetary health touches every part of our organization and requires action from all departments and individuals, leadership and partnership are key to making the changes outlined in this strategy. This first strategic plan for planetary health is a living document with iterative goals that we will continue to shape and grow as we take this journey, face challenges and identify new opportunities.
Health inequalities are, in large part, the product of inequalities in the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work and age – the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). This learning report focusses on innovative approaches taken by four provider trusts within the UCLPartners geography that are acting on the SDOH within their healthcare settings, and common lessons from their work.
This toolkit includes a menu of indicators, categorised by 11 areas of anchor activity. To support the practice application of the indicators the toolkit also includes their potential ease of measurement, and their suitability for ongoing collection.
A Report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity is the first in a series of consensus reports to emerge from the National Academy of Medicine’s Culture of Health Program.
