The Impact Purchasing Conference, convened by Communities Lifting Communities (CLC) in Montebello in February, highlighted a key shift for healthcare leaders. Procurement is no longer transactional — it’s central to building resilient, sustainable supply chains and strengthening local economies.
The event aligned 80 attendees from hospital systems, public partners and suppliers in advancing impact purchasing as a core strategy. Discussions focused on embedding this work across organizations, along with strengthening local suppliers’ readiness and improving their access to capital and contracting opportunities.
Procurement leaders emphasized the importance of coordinated action across institutions, supported by policy alignment and shared infrastructure, to move from fragmented efforts to measurable, regional impact.
For CLC and its partners, priorities include advancing tools such as the Healthcare Inclusive Procurement Network (HCIPN). A first-of-its-kind collaboration, the HCIPN was founded by 13 hospitals that shared their lists of small and diverse businesses. The network is designed to better support both HASC member hospitals/health systems and suppliers by offering an expansive database of contract-ready, diverse vendors and suppliers.
To learn more about CLC’s impact purchasing initiatives, contact Karen Ochoa, [email protected] or (213) 538-0765.