Home

Across the globe, an emergent  group of committed 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 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.

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 delivery systems, a “commons” health care system is community centered  (rather than hospital centered), focused on prevention (rather than treatment), 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. More...

C    Community Driven Healthcare- which recognizes that ultimately it is 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 prevention, health of populations and solutions that exist outside hospital walls. 

·       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.

·       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. More...

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!