Whole Person Health: The Full Picture

The outcome of healthcare depends on more than physical wellbeing. Understanding the impact of social determinants of health, mental health and spiritual health is critical in providing optimal care for all patients. In our season finale, hear experts discuss the concept of whole person healthcare and how it is transforming lives and setting a new example for the healthcare system. 

Transcript

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Hello everyone, and welcome to That's Understandable. I'm your host, Brendan McEvoy, US head of External Communications at AstraZeneca. If this podcast has been enjoyable and informative for you, take a moment to like and follow on your favorite streaming service. And if you know anyone else interested in today's topic, be sure to share because our goal is to help everyone to better understand what science can do. When we all work together. Have you ever paid attention to those surveys doctors offices have you fill out when you're visiting for the first time? You know the ones that ask about your medical history or family medical history, whether you're great and on your mom's side, or was it your dad's had high blood pressure or a history of asthma attacks? If you have, you might have noticed that many of these questionnaires have, in the past several years, started asking things you wouldn't typically associate with physical ailments things like, are you unemployed? Are you struggling to feed your family? How often do you feel overwhelmed? Do you meditate or how much time you spend with friends? If you ever wondered why they ask these questions, then this episode is for you. Because today we're going to discuss holistic health. No, we're not talking about healing crystals or trying to balance your humors, though. No judgment if that's your thing. We're discussing a scientific approach that connects mental, emotional, social, and physical health. To paint a clear picture of your overall well-being, holistic health or whole person health involves looking at the entire person, not just separate organs or body systems, and considering all the factors that impact either health or disease. Why? Because studies show that there is more to human health than genes and physical activity. For example, according to the World Health Organization, social determinants of health account for anywhere between 30 and 55%. These factors include socioeconomic status, education, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, as well as social and community context. Research from 2019, published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, shows that when individuals receive whole person health care, they experience a myriad of benefits, such as reduce stress, and 77% of today's participants. Another study by the New York Albany Medical College showed 24% lower health care cost, excluding prescriptions for participants. As you can tell, the whole of your health is greater than the sum of your individual body parts. So let's dive in with the help of our expert guest. First, I'd like to introduce Daryl Wright, Senior Vice President of Community outreach with the organization so others might eat or some, as it's called. Daryl joined some in 2015 to help further its mission of breaking the cycle of poverty and homelessness in the Washington, D.C. area through a comprehensive approach to health and wellness that not only addresses the physical needs of participants, but the emotional and mental health needs as well. Thank you for joining us today, Daryl. Thank you for having me today, Brendan, and happy to be here to talk about my views on holistic approaches with whole person care. And some has been serving in this area since 1970 and breaking the cycle of poverty and homelessness by providing whole person care, not just direct services, but making sure poor people address their housing needs, their mental needs, their workforce development needs as well as their substance abuse needs. Great. Yeah, I'm looking forward to diving in and learning more about it. And joining Daryl is Kate Wickersham, director of development at LC Health and Community Services, a bilingual health and social services agency. Kate joined LC in November 2021 following her long standing career serving communities through profit and nonprofit organizations. Kate utilizes her skills in storytelling, strategic development and marketing, philanthropy, and more to connect communities and centers of care. Welcome, Kate. Thanks, Brendan. I agree with Daryl. It's wonderful to be here. And Elsie has also been serving the community for more than 50 years. We started in 1973, so we're thrilled to be able to say what we do for the community. To you and your listeners. Fantastic. Lot of great expertise with this conversation then. So let's start. Let me start off with, I guess, a bit of a scene setting question here. And that is what does whole person health mean to you and how does it differ from traditional health approaches? Kate, if it's okay, I'll start with you. Well, for us, whole person health care really looks at the individual and all of their needs. So LCA provides integrated behavioral and social services as well as our physical services. in health care, when we look at the whole person, it means that you really have to look at what brought them to you there today and what their situation is. So that means that you're addressing things like barriers to care. Is the person who's there in that health care appointment facing other challenges in their life that you can address then and share with them almost as a safety net. That's how we like to look at LCA toward organizations that are like ours. When you look at the whole person, you ask questions about their, mental health. You're asking them about their transportation needs, language barriers, poverty, housing and more. Great. Thank you, Kate and Daryl. From your perspective, what does whole person health mean to you and how does it differ from traditional health approaches? I think, to back up what Kate said is whole person health. It's addressing the root causes of what is ailing someone and not just the Band-Aid to address the ailing. And I guess what some this was an evolution for us. Our foundation over five decades ago was as a soup kitchen. We provided essential needs to the marginalized populations, the people who were the most vulnerable in dealing with hunger on a daily basis. So starting off as a soup kitchen, we slowly realized feeding people every day does not address why they are hungry and providing clothing and showers to them. Address why people are homeless. So we started to realize a lot of it was rooted in medical and mental health services. So we added that to our continuum of emergency medical and mental health services. And we realized providing people health care does not change the trajectory of their life. So we added social services, workforce development. We had a substance abuse disorder. So we could start removing the barriers that prevent people from being independently prosperous. And that's how we door into whole person care. So when you come to get a meal in our soup kitchen, we are starting you on the journey. Say, why are you getting a meal here? What is you going to get your meal for tomorrow? What is your plan for the next day? And putting plan together to transition people into case management and whole person care is not dealing with why you came to the organization, but what we can do to prevent you from needing the organization. And that is how we arrived at a whole person care approach to our continuum of services. That's great. Daryl, I'm coming to the conclusion, based on both what you said and Daryl, that there's not necessarily a standard or a single goal for a whole person. Health care. It's, it sounds like it's more about the individual and assessing what they need. Is that is that an accurate statement? Very. Yes. Yes. This we are relationship based. You're not coming in for a transaction in either of our organizations and those that look like us. You're coming in for service for your whole person. And we're trying to build those connections. If we don't offer those services at LCA, what we do is build the connections in our community. We're not duplicating services. We're partnering with other organizations to be able to provide those. But really what we're doing is, like you said, Bernard, it's really just looking at the individual and what do they need in order to, like Daryl said, not need us ever again, right? How can we be that safety net and lift you up? Yeah. Daryl. Anything else you wanted to share on that point? I do want to add that it's important when you have an individualized approach to people, because people's needs are different. When you look at the various social determinants that may impact someone. If someone is a physical ailment, then yes, you need a doctor, but if someone is a cognitive issue, then you're going to need some therapy. But if you have an educational affirmative, you're going to need some additional work skills. So never everyone needs the same thing. So you have to have a fluid continuum that addresses the various needs. And I think what sets us apart again is because we are so multifaceted. If you're just coming to see a doctor, we are a full fledged medical health and you may not need you may not be food insecure, you may not be housing vulnerable, you may just need medical attention. All continuum provides what you need. Where somebody else may need the skill to get an affordable job. We have workforce development. If your need is not ours and our food or medical, we have what you need and being able to meet people's needs wherever they are is what our true whole person did with a whole person. And not everybody needs the same thing at the same time. But to be able to grow with the person and evolve with their needs, evolve and be able to address them and getting to the next level. That's great. and I do think, Daryl, to add on to that, Brendan, is that sometimes folks don't know what they need, and so you'd need to be an organization that looks at the whole person and asks the question, because not everyone knows what to ask for. So when you have that kind of an approach, you're encouraging folks to tell you what they need so that you can then provide that service. It makes it makes me wonder, but you, you both of you mentioned the importance of relationship. So you know, I would, you know, expect or assume that often the person that is coming to some or LCC is probably in a bit of a vulnerable state, right. And sort of a, you know, a situation obviously that's, you know, that they wouldn't want to be in in terms of needing some sort of support or, assistance that they don't have. How do you how do you each of your organizations essentially kind of establish that quick, relationship or, you know, standing to, to in order to be able to even, you know, have the conversation to understand what is, what is truly driving why why when an individual is there and how to go beyond, go beyond rather, you know, just kind of looking at sort of one facet of the issue, but actually trying to understand more holistically what it is that what services are, and assistance they may need. Daryl. Well, I will I will address that simply. And I like how Kate started off. The solution is in building the relationship. I think what makes it easier for us is because for more than 54 years that we've been serving food, the resiliency of our emergency services every single day for 54 years, through war, through weather, through Desert Storm, through the pandemic. Since April 1971, we have never not served two meals a day. So when people come to trust, no matter what is going on, it's zero degrees outside. But I can still get a meal at trusted every day. Whatever happens to me, I'm going to be able to come and get a meal. You built up that relationship. So if I tell you, why don't you talk to the doctor? Just to make sure everything's okay? Because you've already trusted. I have been able to get what I need every time I come here. I will take that advice and I will go to the doctor. And you progressively get people to seek the services. Because the natural thing, not after you. After ten years, if you come here every day to eat, have you considered going to talk to somebody about getting a job that will help you have money to buy food? Or did you know a crisis? Do we have a food pantry? We don't have the community. You can take food back to your house and just getting people to understand what else we do besides serve food. And I think building up that trust, they're going to trust the person that's out there and never let them down. And then that way, you built a relationship with the I will trust. The next suggestion that you make, even if that suggestion is I have a friend named Kate who can help you to get to the next level. You'd go tell Kate that Daryl sent you, and that's how you build the trust and you warm and open someone. So they can get what they need. You said it, Derek. Warm hand over. Right? We build relationships within our service organizations so that folks know if Daryl sent you to me, then they'll come because Daryl is who they have that relationship with. And so it's really, really important for the community to have the trust, like Daryl is saying, and quite honestly, and I know he's feeling it, too. You are people are our best asset. We have amazing people. We've got the best providers, the best nurses, the best caseworkers. We absolutely hire the right person. And that person oftentimes is coming from the community. So, you I'm sure many people have heard of this, that not about me. Without me. Right. Hire from within your community. Hire from within the folks who know about your services. Because and who maybe have come from lead in their own way or have utilized services like your organizations because then they're coming from a place within their heart that they can understand the patient or the person who's standing in front of them. So our people are the best, and we connect with only the most dedicated organizations to send our clients or our patients to. Yeah, I can I can see that that personal touch and and really having the right people there who really care about, you know, making, making, improving lives and making that, you know, that experience to each, each and every person that comes to East through the doors of each of organizations. Very personal. I can you can see how that makes a huge difference. In my intro, I shared a finding from the World Health Organization that social determinants of health impact as much as 55% of all health outcomes. What are some of these social factors that you see having the biggest impact, either from a positive or a negative standpoint? Well, I've got both. I could always give okay. Yeah. But I think one of the challenges, one of our biggest challenges that we are seeing. So LCS or is located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, we also have two other service organizations that are locations that are close to us in southern Chester County. And we our patient base is often from an agricultural worker workforce. And so one of the many things that they're dealing with is, a language barrier. We have transportation barriers. And then the biggest is poverty. So 1 in 2, just think about that LCS, almost 9000 folks, every single year, 1 in 2 are facing poverty. They're uninsured. They're coming for services. And they can't find the funding. They're they're in poverty. They're looking for. How am I going to make my next meal? Is the roof going to be over my head tomorrow? I'm working an hourly position. I can't take off work to go to the doctor. I can't take that. Takes me all day because I don't have a car and I have to get a ride. So there's a lot that each individual who utilizes our services has to think about just to get to us. And so the hardest thing, you know, I'm going to keep saying poverty. Poverty is a big one. in our area because we are a little bit more rural than the DC area. We are facing a lot of transportation challenges as well. And our patient population do have language barriers. Can I give you a positive? Yeah, absolutely. We've also been talking about this already. We've got fantastic service organizations all over our county and our country. So there are a lot of opportunities for your listeners. I cheated and you have millions of folks who listen, right? So it just think of the impact that a million people, just 1 million people makes when they donate to their service organization of choice. When that happens, it allows that organization to have the operating funds in order to serve the folks that need to come to and utilize their services. So if you just looked at 1 million of your listeners who give $10 to the service organizations that they need, they just donated $10 million. I mean, come on, that's that's impact right there. And hopefully they're doing that within their own community to their service organization of choice. That's a real impact that can happen. And I think that having support of organizations like ours that are nonprofit is really, really important. And Daryl, from your perspective, is that are there sort of, you know, similar social factors that that you, you know, feel have the biggest impact, whether from a positive or a negative standpoint? Well, I'll give you one example of each. I guess in the District of Columbia, I think the biggest barrier that we have is the inequity among most people on the outside looking in. Look at the average median salary in Washington, DC, it's about $96,000. And that challenge is that income and that wealth is not equally distributed within the city. There are severe pockets of poverty, homelessness and hunger. When you look at what the latest information tells us, is that 1 in 3 citizens of the District of Columbia is facing food insecurity on a daily basis. So when you talk about a barrier to health equity, I don't know where I'm eating today. Then health. It's not even equitable. It's a fantasy that I'm going to worry about going to a doctor when I'm worried about where I'm going to sleep tonight. So many people in the district, Columbia, are vulnerable, and the cost of living is one of the biggest barriers that contribute to homelessness. The point in time counts about 4000 individuals on any given day in the district. Columbia who unhoused but in reality, that number is undercounted, is about 8 to 12,000 people a night who do not have a place to live in the District of Columbia. So when you talk about preventative medicine, that is not something that it's somebody's realm. Their concern is immediate shelter. And what am I going to do to feed myself and to feed my children? And because the income distribution is so inequitable, we are dealing with people who are extremely vulnerable, who need those daily services, which, again, is why it is important that the essential services bring people in so that you can start to deal with the other social factors, the financial factors, the mental factors, the spiritual factors defeat the mind and the spirit. So the people just don't become overwhelmed with the anxiety and the daily pressures of not having enough money to have their ends meet. The number of barriers to accessing health care Daryl and Kate shared was staggering. It made me wonder are these issues distinct, or is there an underlying theme connecting them? And so you, you know, in summarizing some of the factors that you both said, I heard, you know, poverty, transportation, language barriers, homelessness, hunger is there. Would you would each of you say that there is sort of if you had to pick, is there one you know, one factor in particular that really sort of, you know, is the largest contributor and then the rest kind of pile on for our pile on to, is it just a sort of one stick out, or is it kind of this combination of the variety of factors that kind of, you know, unfortunately, land people and in sort of in, in that in a situation of need? Well, Brendan, I will say that for me, it is poverty, because everything that we've talked about in this conversation derives from poverty. Access to housing is because you cannot afford it, because you're living in poverty, access to emergency needs, health and mental health services as a result of having coverage and benefits that you don't have because of poverty, having access at an adequate job. If I'm living in poverty, I'm not going to add the resource. I mean, the things as simple as a recipe or access to a computer to apply for a job. And then when you talk about, the cost of living in the economy, when you think in terms of just this one dashboard, I'm going to of you if you think of in the District of Columbia, where we have a minimum wage of $17.50, we are the highest minimum wage in the nation. The district Columbia has a higher minimum wage than all 50 states. But a person working full time at minimum wage in D.C. would need to work 103 hours a week in order to qualify for a one bedroom apartment with the cost of living in D.C.. So the myth of people living in poverty is not that you're lazy. You're talking about people with two full time jobs working Instacart and doing air on the side. And still, 90 to 95% of every dollar they get is going to housing, then leaves no money for transportation. Food is a fantasy. Health care is a distant dream because everything I get is going for housing, and it's still not enough to make my ends meet. So when you look at poverty and inequity, that is the biggest leading factor to people not being able to be proactive about their health, their wealth or their financial stability. If your immediate needs are never being met. That that really helps put it in perspective. Daryl. I mean, to think about, based on that, minimum wage, to think about, you know, that just that those numbers right there, right, 100 out, you know, 100 hours and still I mean, that's just what other time does anyone would anyone have to do anything else besides work? And even in even doing that, that only gets them sort of the, you know, the bare minimum. Right. I appreciate you sharing that because I think one of the things about this, this podcast, right, is that it is we have listeners from all different parts of the country, right? And all different living, you know, all different, living situations. And so some, some of us have a hard time relating or sort of understanding when we're talking about, you know, the services that people need or how someone may or, you know, may find themselves in a situation where they need to leverage certain types of, of services. I mean, you think about and you know, what you shared because we're kind of talking about very different populations, right? Between those, Daryl, that you serve and Kate that you serve. And so a misperception might be, okay, maybe in a more rural agricultural, maybe there's less access to services than, let's say, you know, DC given it's, you know, a city, but in reality there's it's not that easy, right? There's still there's very specific barriers or factors that impact each community. unique to that community. Right. And so one is not better off than the other. It's it's sort of the it just is what it is within that community. And, and Brendan, there's something that Daryl said that's really important too, is that look at all of the communities of all of your listeners. I bet you can find a pocket of poverty. I'll bet there is need out there. Just because D.C. is wealthy, just because Chester County in Pennsylvania is wealthy does not mean that everyone is. It means that you maybe just need to look a little harder. And for the folks who are listening, the challenge to I think, with many folks who have need is that there's a stigma involved with that. And I just think it's level setting to think that at any moment, any one of us could have some type of challenge that puts us in a place of need. And so that grace to think I can make a difference or support in some way for my community is really important because we never, never know where we will be someday or where our friends, neighbors, our children are. Our families maybe. So it's really important to just take a look. Look deeper into our own communities because you will find it, and you'll also find with them, you know, those folks who are the heroes, who do the helping. And so there's always that opportunity to support in some way. Yeah, that's a great point. Brenda, can I add one more thing, please? Sure. two things I'd like to talk about. I'd like to talk about the, what I really think where this conversation is healthy, especially for your listeners, is in doing just what Kate said, removing the cloak of invisibility. Because there are a lot of people who just are not aware. And I would challenge any listener when you go to Starbucks to place your order, when you're walking and trying to figure out if you want a half caf or a double latte, that person holding the door is probably a homeless person who's at the opposite. The door is not automatic, but you don't see people who are chained. Can I add the change when you come out, a lot of people walk through the door and think it's a revolving door. But when you talk about removing the cloak of invisibility, that is something you're listeners just by listening to what we're talking about today. The next time you see somebody and not think that they're camping outside, they may be living in an encampment and not just coming to your town to camp out in the middle of the town. But it's a lot of times people just don't know what's going on around there. But the good side of it is because we had these conversations and we talk about whole person care. We're able to study the data. And one of the things that we really appreciate is learning by looking at the data. And when I think I would like people to know is that the social return on investment, as a result, we evaluating those factors, we realize when I give you a best case scenario, we had someone explain to them, because I'm able to come to some every day and eat. I don't have to buy groceries. And because I come and shop for clothes and the clothes went free of charge, I don't have to use that money. I would have had to pay for school uniforms for my daughter. I was able to save up enough money to buy a car and because now I can buy a car, I don't have to wait on public transportation so I can drive a little bit farther out of town to get a job that pays me a little bit more money and I can get back. And now, as a result of that, I have more money coming in. And now I can pay rent someplace other than what I used to be able to afford because I can afford more. But it started off on that return of being able to access food with no charge and being able to get cleaning supplies and clothing supplies, and being able to see a therapist free of charge. I'm able to use that money to change my financial situation. So now the social return on the investment that volunteers and donors make to our organizations allow people to financially take advantage of financial literacy and structured their finance so they can change the plight of their family, thereby getting rid of the generational trap of poverty by doing something. And that's how this whole thing ties together. The services that Kate not provide, allow people to save in that area and put that money toward something else so they can lift the next generation out of those bondages. And that's because of whole person care not treating the one thing, but the treating everything. And let's look to see how we can change this and break the cycle. And I think both of our organizations do that very well. We're laying the foundation to change this in the future. Very well said. And it's all about the people right. That you can, you know that you need the right people working at organizations like the, both the organizations you work at who truly care. Right, who want to, to make change, who want to see the, you know, see change. And so now I just I just had to say that I think it's, it's, it's so clear and talking with you about just how passionate and committed you are to this work. So, I hope you know, that's another thing that people will take away from this episode. Is that just how, you know, there are great human beings, really, who are really trying to make a difference here? And like you said, Kate, the impact that any one of us can do, no matter how small, whether it's, you know, financial or volunteering or something like that, you know, within our communities can have a really big difference. And to Darrell's point, kind of a compounding effect, even it's might be a small thing that could lead to to something much bigger and really changing a person's life. Absolutely. And I have to add in, Darrell, every time we talk, I just want to yell, yes! Yeah, the the whole audience out there is critical. Yes. And I you can feel it. You just you drive that passion and folks and thank you for doing that for us, for our patients, for all the folks that we serve. You are what we need, your and your what the listeners need to. Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. Yeah. Don't ever lose that, Darrell. That's that's fantastic. We need more of that. so I, I mentioned, in my upfront that some of the studies have shown the benefits of whole person care. And obviously we talked a lot about it, you know, so far throughout this conversation. But but sometimes, see, when we get into the data and numbers, it's a little too clinical. Right. And I think it's sometimes what really makes it resonate. Our story is an example of how we're seeing this come to life. So my question to each of you is can you share some of the benefits that you've personally seen, that the result of your organizations and how this sort of how this works? And, you know, if you have any success stories that you can share, I think that would be a go a long way. And helping this become even more real for our listeners. I will start and I know, I worked with Kate in the past on another panel, so I'm going to share the story when I talk about the power of how your listeners, your audience and the general public, you need not be in Pennsylvania District Columbia to help wherever you're listening from. Just I beg you to give a little bit of your time and attention to a cause that you're passionate about. If it's education, look into tutoring. If it's working with seniors looking to senior service in elderly care, if it's working with sports, looking to the Boys and Girls Club. Because when you give a little bit of your time, you're helping Kate and I with our mission. And my mission is passionate to serve people who come here every day, who need. But what I like to talk about is our robust volunteer service, where the way the volunteers have supported us for decades in every aspect of our continuum. And the story that I want to share with you is we had a sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, came to our soup kitchen for their day of service. And what they did, they had over 80 deltas in their sorority covers. Some were serving food, some were cooking food, some were washing dishes. There was one woman who was explaining what a mammogram was, and one of the young ladies in the dining room who was homeless simply asked, well, why do all of you have one red and white? And she said, well, these are sorority colors. And she said, well, what is this award? That's a sisterhood. We played to college. The girl held her mouth in surprise and said, so you want me to believe that all of these women went to college? And she said, why, yes. And she said, I'm an orthodontist. Do you know what that means? And she said, no. She said that means I help. Your smile look so beautiful. And my soul, right. As an architect, she is going to keep this building safe so you can eat every day. The period was over with and the lady said, can I please have some sandwiches and a hygiene kit to take you back to the shelter for later on? My secretary went to get the sandwich and the hygiene kit, and the deltas were signing out, and her friend looked at her and said, that's the lights and terrace crew. We used to beat them up at the rollerskating, which that, no, it's not, she said. That's Delta Sigma Theta. You need to see the other dogs because your teeth are crooked. There was not tell this story about volunteers. In fact, to this day, that young lady doesn't know whether it was a ham sandwich or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich she took back to the shelter. She doesn't know what type of deodorant was in our hygiene kit. She and A you all say, I'm partial. She doesn't even remember my name, but for the rest of her life, she will tell anybody what an orthodontist does because a volunteer came to some and told her she was beautiful. That is a success story. When you shed visibility on the invisible, they remember the impact. They're going to remember what you said, what you said, how you looked at them and how you made them feel. But people can't be what they can't see. So if you don't volunteer and organizations in your community to give people the hope of what it looks like to be a successful, beautiful podcast announcer or what it means to be a successful, intelligent, proud woman who was working. When I live in a shelter now, only women I know are in the shelter with me. I don't know women like Kate exist them as I see them. So that is important for people to get involved. Volunteer with the organizations in your community and if they don't exist, please email Kate or I will tell you how you can help our organizations. Thank you. Daryl. Yeah, that's that's how I yes, yes. See any any builds and experiences that you I'm sure you have a ton. Right. But anything come top of mind. Well I don't know how you could ever beat Daryl saying so. So we'll have to have Daryl. You're just going to be the lead for our storytelling. But I want to add on to what you're saying is that the time, talent and treasure of folks is so vital. You can give a few moments of your time to inspire. You can be a volunteer. There are places where you can volunteer if you are in financial services, if you are in health care, if you are in human services, if you're an artist, all of these places, all of these professions, all of these things, there are opportunities for you to donate your time and your talent. And of course, I'm in development, so I'm always going to want your treasure. But donations matter to nonprofit organizations. We're going to hire the right people. We're going to provide the services. But we also need that support as well. And I think no matter where they donate or their time or their talent and that treasure every dollar matters as well. So every single penny supports those organizations that you were passionate about. Daryl and I did have the opportunity to do, an organizational presentation together. And one of the things that we talked about was advocacy. And really standing up for yourself, standing up for what you believe in and telling people about it. You can advocate in so many different ways, but if you are passionate about something, if something has touched you and you have that passion in your heart, you need to reach out and tell folks this is important. Oftentimes what you are going to see is that there are representatives from your state that you could tell your story to, and make sure they know what is important to you and what makes a difference in your community. Reach out and tell them. Guess what? They have to listen. You put them in place. They've got to listen to what's important to you, and one person is one voice. But if a thousand folks are passionate about health care access, if a thousand folks are passionate about homelessness and food insecurity, and those thousand people reach out to their representative, it puts it on their plate and they have a thousand reasons to look at it. So I am passionate with Daryl, but I think that your listeners have that passion as well, and they need to say it. They need to say this is what's important. That's how we're going to make change. That's how we're going to move that needle, because every single one of us has that within us, and that costs you nothing. That cost you five minutes at a computer where you shoot off a quick email and say, this is really important. And I was just listening to Brenton and his podcast, and I was inspired by Daryl, and Kate told me I had to open up my computer. So that's what I'm going to do. That's how we're going to make change and we can all do it together. It was clear from Kate and Daryl's responses that many of the people they serve benefit from a holistic approach to health care. That's when it hit me. We all need whole person health care. I wanted to know what the major challenges were to do silo health care for all. So I want to shift gears a bit, which is, you know, we talked a obviously been talking a lot about whole person health care. And you obviously are both very passionate about it and the work that you do. But it's it's you know, I would think it's fair to say it's not necessarily a mainstream or the predominant perspective on health care. and so, you know, I think, you know, a lot of us are probably thinking about the interactions we might have with the health care system. And it's it's tends to be sort of siloed or isolated in terms of why you might be interacting there. So have you do you encounter any sort of challenges in, in sort of, advocating for this whole health care or whole person health care? Do you face any challenges in terms of interacting with other health systems or service providers? who maybe are not sort of seeing this, the advantages or the benefit of of looking at, at this in a, in a more holistic manner. I think that holistic care is something that every human deserves, all of us. It doesn't matter where you are in your financial standings, we all deserve that. And the way that our health care system is built right now, it is our cart, right? You go to your primary care doctor and you have, you know, you have a you don't go for a cold, but you have an ear infection or something like that. Right. let's just say that if you came to Elka and Daryl in a moment, I'm sure you'll talk about some. But if you came to Elka and you went in and you said, I'm just not feeling well right now, and then that provider continues to care and asks you a few more probing questions. Maybe they find out that your, good friend had just passed away and you haven't been able to sleep for days, and you have a behavioral health need. We can get you that help right then and there. That's really important because that person then doesn't have to leave the office in order to get that. And the same thing, you're in that same primary care appointment, you're talking to your doctor, they ask you a few extra questions. They find out you're not sleeping because you don't have food. And so you had to choose. I had to get my medication so I didn't buy groceries this week. So I'm well hungry. And I haven't been sleeping well. Well, we're able to then connect you with those food pantries in some. And our caseworkers will also look to see if you're available from for other assistance like, Snap benefits and things like that, because maybe you don't even know about those opportunities. So that's what looking at the whole person is. And I think that, other larger organizations do try their best to provide opportunities, but they're not built like we are built. We are built with the whole person in mind. So we started that way. Other larger organizations or systems are oftentimes built with that ala carte in mind, and they're trying to come back because they see to your point, you see the data, they see how important it is to give to provide whole person health care. But we were built that way. So now I think you're seeing a pivot, maybe in the organizations that were built like we are, and they're trying to turn that tide a little bit, but I have to go back. I think it's a right. I think being, provided care in that holistic way of being able to look at those safety nets of food, housing, mental health, connections to other resources is really the way that we should be providing care. Thanks, Kate. Daryl, what about you from your perspective? I would like to add to that. I think I'm going to agree with Kate. It is what I'm seeing now is especially the financial institutions, the insurance companies and the hospitals. I understand the value of the data, which is telling us the marriage between social determinants of health and social return on investment. It's opening up a new pivot point to people taking a vested interest in the whole person of care approach. What happens with large communities of poverty? There is no primary doctor to go to. A health emergency is, at the worst, chronic issue. When I go in, my heart is racing and now you have to go to the emergency room and it's a $200,000 bill. What they are seeing is if you're coming to get a meal every day and you're checking with the cardiologist and you learn the connection between your lifestyle, your poverty, your living condition, your heart, it never get to that chronic point where you walk in three years later to an emergency room bill that has to be written off. That's astronomical. But prevent people from getting chronically ill with things that are easily treatable is what we both do. In my organization and with whole person care. You're coming in to us for one thing, but we're treating everything, so you don't evolve to a point where it's chronic and it's beyond comprehension, and it becomes a stress point and a financial burden on the community because the social determinants of health are being addressed. So you don't ever evolve into a chronic situation, and the health care needs are realizing there is much more value investing in whole person care treatment to prevent it from becoming a burden on the hospital and financial institutions later on. So I think it's easier to have this conversation because now we both Kate and I have the data to back up that our approach is going to be beneficial on the entire social return, on investment for the community, making safer, healthier, happier people who do not contribute to nefarious activities, who do not partake in illegal activities of criminal or violent activities because you're putting their whole life together. So there's not the need to do that in greater disproportion. I think more people are starting to come along to the way we've already known, because we would set up that way, just like it's the age. But now people are starting to understand the data shows this creates safer, happier, healthier communities. And it's beneficial. Brandon, to the hospital systems. Right. So hospital systems, their emergency rooms are getting clogged up with folks who waited a long time until it became an emergency to get in there. However, if you're able to prevent that from happening by having regular doctor's visits, making sure you're checking up on things like your mental health, checking in to make sure that you are coming when you're ill, to your primary care providers that you are. You're benefiting from that primary care and avoiding the hospital and emergency room. When then those hospital and emergency rooms can be used for true emergencies that happen without that chronic piece. You also have to look at infrastructure for each of us is, you know, we've got, ambulances and the EMTs. There's a shortage of folks who are able to provide those services. So as the health systems begin to rely more on primary care places like our community health centers, that with some. And when folks go to visit us, it prevents them because they're getting the care before it's an emergency for causing the challenge for the community at the emergency room level. And we really need to start looking at that organizationally. Yes. For those organizations. But systemically, we need to start looking at how people are provided care and what's our language around it. We need to talk about it. We don't often talk about things like that. Go visit your doctor every year. I'll be honest, I have not been the best at doing that, but I have all of these great things available to me. I should be doing that right. We should all be doing that. It's not just for those that we serve, it's for all of us. It's community. It's systemic. So we can encourage folks to take advantage of our services for our organizations, but also their own primary care. It does benefit all of us to make sure that our hospitals have the room for us when we need them. And then, you know, the support services are also available to get to us as well. Yeah. I was gonna, I was gonna, you know, ask whether or not you foresee an appetite from, you know, other health centers, hospitals larger institutions. And whether you, you know, see them potentially moving towards this holistic or whole person health care and you know, as you both were talking, I think it, you know, a couple things that stuck out to me. You're talking about like, we have data, right? We have data, which, a lot of times, like the facts, the data, really speaks to institutions when, when they're looking at sort of making decisions. But this other piece to is around, is the, sort of the longer term benefits, right? Or are the reduced burden on hospitals and other health systems by actually looking at the person holistically up front versus treating each sort of ailment or condition in isolation? so I guess it's clear to me that I think, you know, there's it sounds like there's definitely more of an appetite now as, as there's more data to, to show the benefit of it. I think I also heard that, it may require for institutions looking or, approaching or kind of shifting the way in which they approach health care in their, you know, in their settings. Is there any other any other thoughts, on that point around sort of, your perspective on whether or not you see maybe, maybe if you had a crystal ball five, ten, 15 years, whether or not you would you, you potentially see sort of traditional health, health care providers or health services maybe transitioning to more of this, this whole person health care, approach. I believe that we are going to see a bigger transition into what it's proving to be more successful way to approach health challenges. And one of the unique dynamics is I've experienced in the district of Columbia is what has happened in the last two years, with an influx of migrants crossing the border and being transitioned into what they considered traditionally democratic cities. And we had an influx of over 14,000 people who were left stranded at our train station. That became woven into the infrastructure of the social service agency, the District of Columbia, which presented an immediate language barrier. And we created an immediate, cultural barrier because there were some things that we have to understand that we do in our organization that would not take place in a traditional hospital. And understanding those cultural nuances, when you're looking at people who English is not your primary language or our faith may not be your and your culture, certain things may not be accepted. And I think with our interfaith faith approach to whole person care, we take into consideration that some cultures may require a kosher diet. In some faiths, you may only be able to eat in the evening. So our model of giving breakfast and lunch doesn't work with somebody during the month of Ramadan. But because we understand, we make nuances for people's belief system or their religious systems, and we make sure that we can treat the whole person. So if I'm running a food service during the holy month of Ramadan, I've made an adjustment so that you can honor your custom and still take part of our service, which is food services. But because we serve breakfast and lunch and you can't eat between sunup and sundown, we make a plan to include your culture and your belief in your whole person care. And that goes back to what Kate initially said. We make an individual approach to services so that you don't have to sacrifice your belief, your faith or your customs to get. If I can't do blood transfusion, let's find out what is you can't do that's going to get the desired result that honors your customs. Your beliefs. And hospitals have not always had the flexibility to do individualized approach, but when they see the outcomes and health are better, when you address all of the issues, if it's transportation, if it's spiritual but financial, if it's also let's get rid of the anxiety. Let's remove the barrier so that we can treat the ailment to make the person whole. So it's not just a medical issue, it is a social ills or it is a financial issue. It is a spiritual issue and it is a psychological and mental health issue. And and when we have always combined those together and creating the whole person is the end result to make the whole person better, not just your health, better. If your spirit is still low, not just your finances, better if your social is still off. So healthier society as a whole society. And I think you both said capacity, right. So these larger systems, the capacity to move such a large ship, right. That hospital system, it's going to be difficult. And I think quite honestly, my hope is that there's innovation around that change. So some of us do this really well, you know, the care that some and provide. We do it really well. And I'm hoping that we can have these large organizations really partner with us in order to provide the services and really teach them the way to best provide that holistic approach and to do the preventative piece, the preventative piece that when we started, we were talking about those barriers to care. What are those barriers to care and and addressing them. I don't want to say that every hospital system is not doing and I don't can't make that broad sweep like that. I do know that there are fantastic places that do have caseworkers that work with them. I'm hoping that through partnership, we're able to connect in a way that allows us to maybe utilize services, not duplicate. I think that's part of it, too. Don't duplicate those services. Let's work together through partnerships and through warm handoffs as we make those changes so that we can address things quickly. So, believe it or not, we're actually coming up on our time together. I mean, it's like this is this is flown by. But but before we close, I wanted to, you know, take the opportunity to give each of you sort of, you know, your final thoughts, final words. You know, if there's anything else. I mean, this has been a very passionate conversation. And I think there's I know for me personally, a ton of takeaways, but I wanted to give you one last opportunity here. You know, any sort of, you know, final thoughts on your mind, that you wanted to make sure that you share with our audience today? Jake, maybe I'll go to you for such a passionate guy. Maybe I should go first. I think for, for me, my my personal message is to advocate, to make sure that you're not just one voice, but you're a thousand voices, and you're racing the things that are passionate to you, to the folks who do make a difference. and then also, of course, time, talent and treasure. Let's all see folks for who they are. Let's be able to offer our time, our talent, and our treasure to organizations that are doing tough work and, really, the benefits are out there. You know, giving a little bit of your own time makes you feel good, be selfish, give a little bit of your time, go volunteer somewhere, say hi to someone you normally would not say hi to. It's a selfish act for sure. You're the one who benefits because you feel so darn good when you do it. So have a little joy in your life. Do a little something for an organization like Som or an organization like Elsie. Do it for yourself. And then please, please, please advocate and raise your voice. And then I'm going to, I think we have to leave it with Daryl, because I have a feeling this is going to be amazing. Yeah. over to you, Dara. Yeah. So I think what I would like to see my call to action would be. Especially with your listeners and your audience, you had the power to share what you've learned in this conversation. Just what you've learned from the three of us this evening. It's more than you came into the podcast knowing. And there's somebody in your community, in your surrounding, in your neighborhood who doesn't know. May had the same stereotypical minutes that you had before. You're in this conversation educating people on the inequities that exist, on the services that are available, and how the best way they can change something is to volunteer. Look in the white pages, the yellow pages add somebody. Where is their community? In my neighborhood or my block that I can make a difference if it's donating sandwiches to a soup kitchen, if it's volunteering at the schools, there's one already doing some volunteer tutoring, but making a difference in your community. When you start with that, someone's going to ask, well, why are you doing this? Well, I saw podcasts where I learned that's my seat, and now you're sharing information and you're breaking down stereotypes and people are getting to learn. There are ways that we can play a part of the solution by getting involved. So the call to action begins with you and your first act, and then someone asks you, why are you doing it and challenging them to pick that thing that is your passion, your purpose, or in some cases it may be what was painful for you that you now have overcome, and you can just share the knowledge that an obstacle can be overcome. And I always say that when volunteers say, well, what are you talking about? I give the example, I am speaking to you on this podcast. I've been with some about a decade, but since I've been in my job, I have suffered three heart attacks, two strokes and overcome colorectal cancer. So when someone comes to the soup kitchen, say, Mr. White, you don't understand what I've been through. I've had a stroke and I can't do anything else in my life. I've had two strokes, but when I tell people my medical story, it makes them realize what I thought the stroke was the end of my life. And I said, it's not the end of your story. You get up pen and you write a different ending. I can say this because I've overcome multiple strokes, but if you're dealing in a situation where you're a volunteer in an organization where there's domestic violence and you tell someone what I overcame to make what my husband left me, well, I got my doctorate after my divorce, well, after my bank run, when you found out this life after the infirmity that you thought was the end of your world. But people can't know that the things that can be surmounted if they don't know that people have survived them. So find your pain, your passion, your purpose, and put it into action so that somebody can change the narrative. And you may be the catalyst. I know what I do very well, but what I don't know is what your listeners do and what happens when they show up and share their passion. I know how people feel about my passion. I would like to find out from your audience what happens when you share your passion? What happens to the fire? Then? What happens to the flame? Does it become hotter, brighter? Does it shine farther? When you get involved to share your story, your transition, your success, or your failure? But I challenge you to find your passion and put it into purpose in your community, your neighborhood, your church, your school, your surrounding. And then come back and tell me how that worked out and what happened as a result of you sharing your passion, your pain, your success, and even your failure. That's just proof that you can overcome failure. I think when people get involved, that starts the ball rolling, and I would like to see what happens when the ball gets to the end of the hill. So I would love to come back a year later and hear from some of the be on a podcast. After that, I did this. Let's have a follow up call and just talk about what happened as a result of this conversation. Wow. I mean, there's no there's no other point to end on than that. Darrell, I thank you. Thank you both so much. I mean, not only for this conversation, but more importantly for the work that you're doing and the impact that you're having in the communities where where you live. So again, thank you so much. Thank you so much for your time and for sharing everything with us. you know, often in health care, we focus on solving a single problem or curing a single disease. And at times we may overlook the bigger, interconnected picture of human health, better bodies connected to our environment and our community. Just as much as our fingers are connected to our hands. That is affected by our mental and emotional state that the well-being or lack thereof, of our community and environment often is reflected in our physical health. Today's episode helped give me a little bit more perspective on what being healthy means, and I hope it provided that for you too. Thanks again for joining us on. That's understandable. For more information about today's episode and guest, be sure to check the show notes. As this episode concludes, season two of. That's understandable. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on how exciting this season has been. We have had tremendous conversations with outstanding guests, and I know I certainly have learned so much along the way. I can't not mention and express my deep gratitude for those involved who have worked together to bring this season to life. Thank you for all of your hard work. We're excited about season three, where we're exploring even more great conversations with fascinating and inspiring guests. Stay tuned and we'll see you next season. Until then, be well. Be healthy. Be understanding.