The Challenge

The U.S. healthcare system is trauma-organized. We see this exhibited in declining population health outcomes, alarming rates of mental illness and attrition among health professionals, and financial distress, worker strikes, and facility closures in hospital systems nationwide. The system is buckling under its own weight and begging for redesign.

Numerous efforts around the country are driving change at various levels of the health system, but the work is uncoordinated and change leaders feel isolated. And our responses need to go beyond "caring for the carers" or "being patient-centered" — we need to fundamentally transform the system to reprioritize and center health and wellbeing for patients and health professionals alike.

Taking Action

On December 6, 2023, Humaniterra catalyzed a bold, new, national-level conversation by gathering a carefully curated constellation of change leaders in the virtual roundtable, Together We Heal: Transforming a Traumatized Healthcare System. Over 50 people representing various lived experiences, identities, geographies, and professions across the healthcare system, came together in community to reimagine an ideal future health system. They were challenged to abandon what they think is possible, and instead coalesce around our collective dream for the system we truly desire.

"My biggest hope is that together as a community of like-minded individuals who care, we can make a meaningful difference and contribute to the ripple effect of healing and well-being." - Roundtable participant

From the profound feedback from this event, Humaniterra founder and roundtable facilitator, Heather Buesseler, launched the Substack platform, Healing Healthcare, for like-minded individuals to continue building community and momentum for systems transformation.