Anchor Mission

RUSH is the largest employer on Chicago’s West Side and spends millions of dollars each year on goods and services. We put that spending power to work in ways that improve the economic vitality of communities near RUSH University Medical Center and RUSH Oak Park Hospital through our Anchor Mission strategy We’re committed to hiring locally and developing more local talent; buying and sourcing with local vendors; investing locally; and volunteering locally, all with the assistance of partners that include community-based organizations, community development finance institutions and other health care organizations in the West Side United collaborative.

$2.25 million in community investments on the West Side brought RUSH’s total investments to more than $6.23 million since 2018

400 new RUSH employees (nearly 18% of total hires) live in anchor mission communities

$9.18 million was spent with West Side businesses on everything from printing to catering

Anytime there’s a need and I have availability to volunteer, I dive in. When we’re doing food distribution to the community on weekends, I include my 13-year-old daughter, too; it’s a way to give back and learn some life lessons at the same time.

It’s really motivating to see the work that RUSH is willing to put into the community and to see that leadership is there to support the efforts. We get a lot of people who are in great need and express a lot of gratitude for us being there. And when we see someone at an event who has a need, we don’t leave it at the event: We’ll follow up with them with ways to close the gaps, like helping them apply for SNAP benefits or Medicaid.

Ebony Henderson, RUSH lead community health worker

What’s next: A look ahead to 2023-24

Our plans for the coming year include the following:

• Increasing community members’ access to behavioral and mental health resources

• Developing and rolling out an updated, systemwide strategic plan for health equity

• Working toward implementing key initiatives outlined in the RUSH Community Health Implementation Plan

• Collaborating with community members to activate the Rush Center for Well-Being in the Sankofa Wellness Village