The Health Advancement Collaborative of Central New York is a not for profit corporation formed in 2005 to bring together employers, hospitals, physicians, insurers, and consumers in a collaborative forum to address regional health issues. The Collaborative is the result of a merger between two prior collaborations, the Health Care Planning Organization (HCPO) and the Health Care Collaborative of Central New York (HCCCNY), which had similar yet complementary missions to promote access to affordable, high quality health care in the Central New York region.

Six organizational members came together through the merger process to form HAC-CNY: Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (Excellus), the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce (Chamber), the Hospital Executive Council (HEC), the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY), the Metropolitan Development Association of Central New York (MDA), and the Onondaga County Medical Society (Medical Society).

The Collaborative’s core operating principles are to build understanding among members of the community, encourage cooperation, trust and the setting aside of individual agendas, build consensus, develop action-oriented plans and projects, achieve measurable outcomes, seek win/win solutions, provide transparency, shared governance and decision-making and encourage the candid exchange of information in a safe environment.

The Collaborative is governed by a 27 person board that, as specified by its bylaws, represents a diverse segment of the business community including: ten businesses, three health insurers, six physicians, five hospitals, and three representatives at large. The Collaborative’s board president is Orrin MacMurray, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, C&S Companies. 

The Collaborative is unique among other regional coalitions in several ways. First, it is the product of key community stakeholders, hospitals, physicians, insurers, and employers, coming together voluntarily to address common health care issues and concerns in the absence of any external incentives or pressures. Second, its board is comprised of the key stakeholders needed to build consensus on regional health issues. Finally, board members have been proactive in identifying, underwriting and implementing priority activities.