Whole Person Health Care: A Way Forward

This article, co-authored by Ardmore Institute of Health trustees and staff, proposes action steps for organizations committed to making whole person care a powerful force in American health care.

Abstract

The time has come for health care organizations, practitioners, and patients to unite behind a clear, compelling message of healing as the organizing principle of our health care system, and take concrete steps to make that message routine in everyday practice. To achieve this vision, we propose the following Action Steps to all organizations committed to making whole person care a powerful force in American health care: 1. Include Whole Health or Whole Person Health Care in the mission and vision statements of our organizations 2. Ground collaboration in the NASEM definitions of Whole Health and Whole-Health Care, embracing it as the shared vision and unifying concept that unites all of our organizations (as AAFP did in the fall 2025 convening) 3. Hold interdisciplinary and interorganization conversations and convenings to develop a shared set of tools for communicating this vision to patients, payers, and policymakers. 4. Encourage professional organizations to develop resources tailored to their members; recent examples include the development at AAFP of a Whole Health Practice Playbook and Practice Improvement continuing medical education (CME) activities and the publication by the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine of a special issue focused on meaning and purpose.