Anchor Institutions Are Important Not Just During Trying Times

When the threat of COVID-19 reached our academic health centers, UCSF physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists and other health care professionals were there to provide our community with testing and contact tracing, while continuing to deliver essential health care services. Our scientists also began leading COVID-19 research, and later, health professionals from across specialties stepped up to deliver vaccinations. Academic health centers have served as anchor institutions in our cities during the pandemic – showing compassion, resilience and strength for everyone in the community. Anchor institutions – large, nonprofit organizations tethered to their communities – shine as beacons of hope during critical times. When the dust settles, academic health centers that function as anchor institutions remain in our cities to help communities leverage economic power, support human and intellectual resources, and improve long-term health and social welfare. And while sports teams are often thought to anchor a city, you will never hear of a university moving to a new city for a better facility. Anchor institutions have been growing more important for local economies as our country sees manufacturing decline, a rise in service sector work and increasing government debts. In San Francisco, academic health centers have served as anchor institutions by supporting public education, providing training and employment for residents, and reducing inequities in health care that affect underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. While Silicon Valley gets most of the press, academic health centers have multibillion-dollar operating budgets and quietly serve as one of the principal economic engines in the Bay Area. Of course, academic health centers do more than support the local economy. Their most important role has always been community health. Since their inception, health care universities have partnered with hospitals to treat patients in the greatest need. Historically during natural disasters or epidemics, such as HIV/AIDS in the 1980s, the public has turned to these anchor institutions for care – and this remains true today as we have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. For oral health each year, our anchor institutions serve as a safety net for society and provide millions of dollars in free and reduced dental care for patients through student and resident clinics. To remain an anchor institution, local support is crucial. At times, academic health centers are overlooked by the community until there is a public health crisis or a personal health need. It's essential that the community supports and recognizes the importance of anchor institutions during good times, too. Support can come in many forms: emotional, political or philanthropic. Philanthropic support over the years has transformed many academic health centers into what they are today. It is rare for health care universities not to have at least one building named for a generous donor. However, all citizens can do their part to support these anchor institutions by donating, advocating, voting and volunteering their services, and of course, spending locally. COVID-19 has forced us to think beyond our own health care needs. We have learned that to have a healthy environment where we can live, learn and play, our neighbors must be healthy, too. Our health care anchor institutions are an important component of the thriving community we all need, and I am proud to be part of one. Learn more about the UCSF Anchor Institution Initiative: https://anchor.ucsf.edu.