Anchor Institutions can play an important role in the communities where they are located. For the past thirty years, colleges, universities, hospitals and health systems have been recognized for the impact that they have had on local and regional economies. They are enduring organizations deeply rooted in their community. They impact the community through the jobs that they create, the people that they employ and the goods and services that they purchase. But their impact can extend beyond that, helping to foster stronger, more vibrant communities. In some communities they have expanded access to childcare services for the broader public, improved job training and workforce development, and supported home ownership. They have worked to improve health outcomes, addressed food access issues and expanded the availability of Internet service.
Promoting understanding the impact of Anchor Institutions, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has launched an Anchor Economy Initiative, to help evaluate the role that these organizations can play in a region. This initiative includes collecting and analyzing data from across the country. They have issued reports on the impact of Anchor Institutions throughout the 24 regions within the Third Federal Reserve District. And more recently, they have launched an Anchors for Equity Research in Action Lab, (https://www.philadelphiafed.org/community-development/workforce-and-economic-development/research-in-action-lab-anchors-for-equity) inviting anchor institutions to partner with others in their region to develop strategies to address workforce challenges in their communities.
Deborah Diamond, the Director of the Anchor Economy Initiative, will share information about these efforts and the impact of anchor institutions in Berks County and beyond. Before joining the Federal Reserve in Philadelphia, Deborah led Campus Philly, which created a national model for engaging and retaining recent graduates in the community where they studied.
Berks County is home to several important anchor institutions. Five colleges are located here as are two major hospitals and health systems. Each of these institutions has an impact beyond the students they serve and the staff that they employ. Leaders of two of these institutions will join Deborah in speaking about the role that anchor institutions can play.
Jacquelyn Fetrow is the President of Albright College. She has brought the internationally recognized Total Experience Learning program to Albright, which is having a dramatic impact on basic education. Albright is also in the process of creating its Innovation Corridor, designed to stimulate economic development in Northeast Reading, supporting start-up businesses and encouraging recent college graduates to remain in our region.
Charles Barbera, MD, is the President and CEO of Reading Hospital. Reading Hospital has launched several initiatives designed to address the social issues that can affect the health of the community, including a Street Medicine Program, that provides medical care and supports for the homeless and home insecure. They offer a mobile mammography lab, internships for local high school students and scholarships for students entering nursing, paramedicine, medical imaging and laboratory science.
Join us May 11, 2023 at 11:30am via Zoom for a discussion on the significance of Anchor Institutions in Berks County.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUoc-urpzgiGdAtLVv9DIrhAbcwvKWutmVo
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