ProMedica and LISC set $45M partnership

ProMedica, a Toledo-based integrated health system, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national social enterprise, have a new alliance to mobilize tens of millions of dollars for underinvested communities-starting with a $45 million effort to scale up economic opportunity and improve health outcomes in Toledo and the surrounding region over the next decade.

The two organizations will concentrate capital and on-theground technical support to address social determinants of health and improve overall quality of life. Notably, the partnership will leverage funds for a major initiative announced last year called the Ebeid Neighborhood Promise (ENP), which is revitalizing Toledo's UpTown community, where - according to the partners - more than half of the residents live in poverty and 30% are unemployed.

According to officials, new investments and grants will focus on helping families grow employment skills and boost incomes and education. The goal is to improve community safety, finance healthy homes and vibrant businesses, and ensure communities have quality greenspace and jobs. It is a model that can be replicated in communities across the country.

"Healthcare has traditionally invested heavily in high-tech clinical care and stateof-the-art facilities, yet we underinvest in programs to improve socioeconomic factors. This is despite scientific evidence of how these factors greatly influence a person's health status," said Randy Oostra, ProMedica president and CEO. "For several years now, ProMedica has been devoting more resources to address social needs. Now through this partnership with LISC, we will maximize the impact of our efforts, starting in UpTown, and demonstrate the power of partnering with other sectors to accomplish a shared goal."

According to ProMedica, it has been screening and studying the impact of social needs on the health of its patients, finding that financial strain, employment, behavioral health, and access to healthy food are among the most critical indicators. As an anchor institution, it also serves as a catalyst for community collaboration and economic development, including er suring that area neighborhoods thrive.

"Your zip code should not determine your prospects in life," said Maurice Jones, president and CEO of LISC, a national community development organization that has invested more than $19 billion to spur economic opportunity in struggling areas. "But, right now. your community is the single largest predictor of how well and how long you will live. We have to focus on social, economic, and health challenges - all in the same place at the same time - if we want to g:ve families the best chance possible to thrive."

The partnership includes a $2C million pool of grants, half from each organization, that will be deployed over 10 years for community programs and services. I: also includes a new $25 million loan fund that will finance development projects that would not otherwise move forward Of the tota' lending pool, ProMedica is investing $10 m ilion and LISC is investing $15 million.

Importantly, according to officials, the partners will work with health researchers to develop a new framework for evaluating how these kinds of community investments i mpact health - integrating data on financial, educational, and clinical outcomes to identify what works.

"We are taking a data-driven approach that will demonstrate exactly how we're making a difference," said Kate Sommerfeld, ProMedica president of social determinants of health. "Our end goal is to develop a national model and best practices that we can replicate across ProMedica's region and share with other health systems."

According to officials, the investment effort builds on the partners' long-time commitment to these issues.

According to ProMedica, which operates in 28 counties in Ohio and Michigan, it has emerged as a national leader on social determinants, demonstrating how health institutions can leverage their expertise and resources to advance key goals.

For 40 years, LISC has been investing in thousands of urban and rural communities across the country, including $150 million in Toledo anee 1989. In late 2017, LISC announced it would deploy an anticipated $10 billion in national investments over the next decade in ways that are specifically designed to upend health disparities, as well as raise overall standards of living. The partnership with ProMedica is the first national collaboration des_gned to support LISC's expanded health focus, noted officials.

"Healthcare institutions can wield remarkable influence over social determinants, not just by :he care they provide but by the data they have on place-based health challenges," Jones said. "When we connect their talent and their resources to the expertise of community developers, we have an opportunity to drive changes that help people live better - literally adding years to their life. That's incredibly powerful."

To move forward, LISC and ProMedica will begin working with community partners and stakeholders in UpTown to engage residents. An operations team based at UpTown's ProMedica Ebeid Institute will focus on expanding job-training opportunities for residents and onboarding additional community health workers, financial coaches, and jobs coaches, who will provide free services to the community.