We advocate for access to that care and for a broader role for massage therapists in healthcare. We all do better when we all do better. Effective, human-centered care is far from standard. Healwell partnerships provide care that prioritizes personal connection, quality of life and outcomes that are valuable from both the patient and provider perspective. We know that this kind of care does not exist in a vacuum and it never relies on a single discipline. When Healwell was founded in 2009, we did not fully understand how interdependent we all are as humans caring for humans. Over the years, as we have partnered with organizations, patients, family caregivers, researchers and others in ways that have opened our eyes to the need to be deeply collaborative. Thoughtful consideration and solutions to issues of racism, equity, access, inclusion and social justice are essential to the path forward toward health, even in the presence of disease. Our programs create and leverage unique synergies between research, service and education to bring all of health care, including massage therapy, to a higher level. A level that humanizes every single human. A level that listens generously. A level that redefines what it means to care. Our hands-on partnerships function not only as sites of compassionate clinical excellence where massage therapy shines its own light, but also augments the value of interventions that have long been considered standard. These collaborations also function as real world labs where we conduct research about important measures like self-efficacy, what it's like to be sick and what it's like to care for people who are sick. They are also our teaching labs where massage therapists and other providers who want to learn with us about how to cultivate deep self-awareness, effective, kind communication skills and personal accountability. Healwell is challenging the traditional silos of health care disciplines to create distinctive opportunities for interdisciplinary education and practice. We know that we'll go farther together, we'll create a broader impact in community and we also know that changing the world is just more fun with friends than it could ever be going it alone.
