Healthcare anchors are critical to both economic mobility and workforce stability, yet efforts across NEPA remain fragmented. The Anchor Economy Initiative at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia explored how anchor institutions sustain jobs, drive economic growth, and support equitable regional development in regions across the country. Alongside The Institute, NEPA participated in their 18-to-24-month Research in Action Lab to build partnerships to address a specific economic problem in a sustainable way and create a shift toward more equitable systems. Through all of this, the major area of focus identified was the need for more healthcare workers and pathways to connect our community to these jobs.
Advancing the finding of Anchors for Equity requires a focused, place-based healthcare workforce initiative designed to align healthcare anchor institutions, workforce partners, and community efforts around shared talent needs. JobsFirst NEPA serves as a neutral intermediary and implementation partner to listen, align, and accelerate what’s already happening across the region, starting with high-demand healthcare pathways like CNAs, Peer Specialists, Medical Assistants, and Dental Assistant roles, while identifying additional care-economy opportunities.
The intermediary is now providing the expertise and capacity to create the NEPA Healthcare Sector Network (HSN), a partnership of workforce development agencies, community colleges, and healthcare employers, and investors that strengthens collaboration among nonprofits, colleges, and industry to improve skills training, leverage knowledge and resources, increase resource investment, and increase access to careers in the healthcare industry in NEPA..
This solution directly addresses the needs that emerged from prior research: the need to bring the right people to the table to take a deeper look at the data and understand the intersection of industry, education, credentials, and wraparound supports. This network is about creating a forum where the organizations that influence the healthcare workforce can align around shared priorities, reduce duplication, identify opportunities for collaboration, and develop solutions that no single organization can solve alone.
- Employers can help define workforce needs
- educators can identify training capacity and challenges
- workforce partners can bring insight into recruitment and support services.
This will shift the region from fragmented, competitive recruitment to a unified regional strategy driven by a coordinated, data-informed approach that addresses the critical shortage of nursing and Allied Health professionals.
JobsFirst NEPA is actively identifying existing gaps from the Anchors for Equity work and working alongside key stakeholders to implement the necessary solutions. In this next phase of alignment and design, we are translating research into action and building the infrastructure needed for long-term impact, unlocking greater results without duplicating existing efforts. This foundational coordination, employer engagement, and shared strategy is what’s needed to turn existing activity into a coherent system that works better for both workers and employers.