COACH

Collaborative Opportunities to Advance Community Health

Facilitated by the Health Care Improvement Foundation since its September 2015 launch, COACH has provided a structure for participants to explore collaborative implementation strategies as hospitals/health systems complete the current round of community health needs assessments and implementation plans mandated by the Affordable Care Act.

COACH participants have been working toward consensus on shared strategy(ies) for collective adoption and inclusion in implementation plans that were submitted during November 2016.

Through a structured process, COACH participants have prioritized strategies addressing healthy food access and access to care/services in order to promote chronic disease prevention and management.

Children whose families participate in COACH receive health food and access to health care

Food Insecurity

The direct connection between food security and proper nutrition, and better health is well-documented. Yet, in Pennsylvania, more than one in ten Pennsylvanians are food insecure.

In Pennsylvania,

Food insecurity is reduced (by one-fifth overall, and one-third for children) when families get SNAP
Compared to low-income adults without SNAP, those who participate in SNAP have 25 percent less in health care expenditures
Low-income adults who struggle with chronic disease and participate in SNAP have even greater reductions in health care expenditures

HAP Contacts

For more information, contact Robert Shipp III, PhD, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, vice president, workforce & clinical affairs. Media inquiries should be directed to Kim Yakowski, manager, media relations.

HAP News

June 11, 2026

Why Hospitals are ‘Critical Infrastructure’ for Pennsylvania Communities

Hospitals are vital community anchors that communities depend on to thrive. That was the resounding message from a panel of statewide leaders who came together during HAP’s Leadership Summit last week to discuss the implications of hospital financial distress for Pennsylvanians and their communities.

June 10, 2026

Penn State Nurses Aid Recruitment by Sharing their Passion, Stories

Responding to the ongoing needs of our members, HAP hosted a Workforce Summit that brought together clinical, administrative, and workforce leaders from across Pennsylvania to learn and share best practices for developing and engaging health care teams. We’re highlighting some of the innovative ways Pennsylvania hospitals are addressing the workforce crisis.

Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center developed the Registered Nurse (RN) Ambassadors Program to address nursing workforce shortages through peer leadership, engagement, and recruitment by bedside nurses themselves.

June 09, 2026

How Pennsylvania Hospitals are Preparing for the Challenges of H.R. 1

Hospital leaders are preparing for significant disruption as payment cuts and coverage losses stemming from last year’s federal budget reconciliation bill, H.R. 1, begin to phase in.

COACH: Addressing Food Insecurity