Across the globe, an emergent group of committed clinicians, organizations and individuals are engaged in advancing a new healthcare paradigm. Broadly, this new healthcare paradigm fosters the promotion of health and resilience of individuals and communities by promoting personal health, social health and the regeneration of ecological systems. There is a recognition that “green’ healthcare, while important, is not sufficient to address long term resilience of healthcare delivery.
" I think it is time... to make our own wise rules....the first of those rules has to be the rule of respect – respect for the Commons, respect for the needs of the patient and of the community that we share with the patient..."
Donald Berwick, M.D. President and CEO Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2009
Central to this approach is the recognition that the health of populations is increasingly determined by the interrelated loss of ecosystem services and socio-economic health impacts. Two key drivers are climate change and an industrial food and agriculture model. Distinct from our conventional health care treatment delivery model, commons health care is community centered (rather than hospital centered), prevention focused, systems orienteed, embraces integrative practice and employs local or bioregional knowledge and solutions.
This framework embraces a variety of evolving, interrelated conceptual themes, which include:
Anchor Institutions - Hospitals are key anchor institutions, place-based organizations firmly established in their communities. As a result hospitals and other healthcare institutions have a responsibility to link their economic activity to the socio-economic health of the communities in which they are anchored. Moreover, healthcare's anchor institution role is enhanced through collaborative partnerships with local universities and colleges and the communities in which they are based. More...
C "Agency", "Sense of Place" and Community Driven Healthcare - which recognizes that ultimately it is citizens and engaged communities that are going to need to take responsibility to define their commons, set goals, develop metrics and create solutions. Explicitly this highlights the importance of prevention, health of populations and solutions that exist outside hospital walls. In addition, it includes the concept of personal "health agency", which includes patients are empowered partners in treatment and prevention.
· Integrative Practice – healing-oriented medicine which facilitates the body’s innate healing ability and which incorporates all factors that influence health and wellness including mind, spirit, community, and environment. Moreover, integrative medicine has developed a deserved reputation for a focus on prevention and health promoting environments through its understaning of the interplay of environment, biological and social factors. More...
Re Regenerative Healthcare or Regenerative Design – the concept that the design and construction of hospital and healthcare infrastructure is integrated within communities and ecologically neutral - carbon neutral, water balanced, and ultimately ecologically regenerative. This approach neccesitates community invovlement in healthcare design and operations.
If you are visiting this site you are likely interested in, or working in this new paradigm. Please feel free to join our blog, submit a blog, send us links to your work and share news or conferences, and tell us what you think!