June 14, 2023 – Vizient and Ochsner Health hosted a Gulf Coast Community Contracting Informational Meeting & Networking Reception June 13 in New Orleans. The event was attended by local, diverse suppliers and diverse business advocacy and certification organizations interested in learning how to engage in business opportunities with healthcare organizations and other large businesses in Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Vizient is the nation’s largest healthcare performance improvement company, representing more than 60% of the nation’s healthcare providers.
Through the Gulf South Community Contracting Program, Ochsner and other participating hospital systems and large businesses commit to purchasing from local, diverse suppliers with the aim of boosting the local economy to increase livable wages, health insurance and career paths. The program drives economic development and empowerment to increase socioeconomic status in local communities and positively impact health equity.
Attendees were divided into two sessions. Large employers such as healthcare organizations and universities learned how their participation in Community Contracting can close the wealth and health gap in their communities. Suppliers and advocacy organizations, such as chambers of commerce, learned how their participation in the program would grow their businesses, leading to better community health outcomes. The event ended in a networking reception that brought the groups together.
The Vizient Community Contracting Program facilitates reinvestment in local economies, using the power of purchasing within healthcare systems to direct spend to local, diverse suppliers.