Hospitals are often major employers, and they command large budgets for services such as catering and laundry. But too often, that spending benefits national corporations rather than the hospital’s neighbors.

In the depths of the Great Recession, The Democracy Collaborative co-founder Ted Howard set out to change that. Howard partnered with multiple anchor institutions in Cleveland – including Cleveland Clinic – to launch the Evergreen Cooperatives. Evergreen’s trio of businesses now supply fresh produce, renewable energy and laundry services to the city’s anchor institutions. 

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Now, through the Healthcare Anchor Network, some 45 health systems across the country are working to create similar synergies in their communities.

Read the full article at U.S. News and World Report