Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System say they have hired 304 workers from distressed neighborhoods since September 2015, part of an initiative to spur economic growth in low-income communities.
The two also committed $55.5 million of construction project spending to minority- and women-owned businesses.
HopkinsLocal is a three-year program launched by the two Johns Hopkins institutions in 2015 that aims to increase economic empowerment in Baltimore neighborhoods by expanding partnerships with local and minority-owned businesses, increasing hiring and training of city residents.
“As the city’s largest employer, it is not only our desire but our responsibility to have a positive impact on our neighbors,” Ronald R. Peterson, president of Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine, said in a statement. “Helping to strengthen Baltimore’s economy through purchasing, contracting and hiring opportunities is a win-win solution.”