Achieving the Anchor Promise: Improving Outcomes for Low-Income Children, Families and Communities

It is widely acknowledged that hospitals and universities are anchor institutions - that is, place-based institutions that are tied to their location by reason of mission, invested capital, or relationships to customers or employees and hence have a vested interest in improving the welfare of their surrounding communities. A question that is increasingly arising, however, is to what extent are universities and hospitals conducting their work in ways that explicitly improve the lives of low-income children, families and communities that are often proximate to the campuses of these institutions in major urban areas.