A Declaration for Human Experience

In a world facing consistent, dynamic, and rapid changes in how we communicate and connect, the realties and challenges for the global healthcare system have been clearly revealed.

Economic pressures, workforce shortages, policy decisions, growing patient needs, and social tensions, catalyzed by recent health events, have exposed a systemic opportunity critical to building a vibrant, healthy, and sustainable healthcare system: the need to heal and strengthen the humanity at the heart of healthcare.

Healthcare professionals and organizations are working daily to respond to the growing needs of their patients and the communities they serve with compassion and clinical excellence. In the face of economic and workforce challenges healthcare organizations continue to find creative ways to fulfill their mission to care for their communities, while working to address the health and well-being of the healthcare workforce.

At the same time, the realities of systemic disparities and inequities remain painfully apparent, even if harder to address directly due to policy and social pressures. Organizations continue to work tirelessly to tackle the essential issues of access to care, affordability, and equitable, quality outcomes.

These issues are not new; while elevated by recent history, they have lived just beneath the surface of healthcare for decades and they come with a heavy price. They call for a fundamental shift in thinking and direction in how each of us lead in healthcare today.

We are now in a moment where there is no normal to which to return. Rather, we are called to find solutions to step forward, across the global healthcare ecosystem, together. Those who resist or return to old ways, either intentionally searching for the comforts of the past or due to lack of clarity on how to push forward, are likely to become obsolete in our new world.

This reality calls on us to forge a new existence that breaks down the deeply rooted and distinct silos of patient experience, employee engagement and community health with an unwavering focus on the common thread that binds each of these areas together—the human experience.

By elevating and transforming the human experience in healthcare, we create a more effective, responsive and equitable healthcare system that results in better experiences and outcomes for patients of all backgrounds, a more supportive, energizing and collaborative environment for healthcare professionals, and healthier communities that break down barriers to care.

We are called to lead courageously with the understanding that we are, first and foremost, human beings caring for human beings. In answering this call, we commit to:

• Acknowledge and dismantle systemic racism and prejudice, tackle disparities and provide the highest-quality, most equitable care possible.
• Understand and act on the needs and vulnerabilities of the healthcare workforce to honor their commitment and reaffirm and reenergize their purpose.
• Recognize and maintain a focus on what matters most to patients, their family members and care partners to ensure unparalleled care and a commitment to health and well-being.
• Collaborate through shared learning within and between organizations, systems and the broader healthcare continuum to forge a bold new path to a more human-centered, equitable and effective healthcare system.

In making this declaration personally and publicly, we stand for all we can and must be in healthcare. In aligning our words and actions to move this cause forward, we commit to transforming the human experience in healthcare for all patients, the healthcare workforce, and the communities we serve. In working together to see these ideas become realities, with persistence and focus, we can and will change the face of healthcare for the better around the world. We believe that is what every human being deserves.