IHI’s What Matters to You in Sonoma County
A 2012 NEJM paper by Michael Barry and Susan Edgman-Levitan challenged clinicians to ask their patients not only ‘What’s the matter?’ but also ‘What matters to you?’. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and its then President and CEO (now President Emerita and Senior Fellow), Maureen Bisognano, championed and spread the What Matters to You concept, advocating for its inclusion at the heart of all health care interactions. The Integrative Medical Clinic Foundation (IMCF) located in Santa Rosa, CA is leading the effort to bring awareness of the What Matters approach to both community agencies and health care organizations in Northern California.
IMCF has begun work to build a collaborative group of community organizations interested in exploring ways to integrate a What Matters to YOU approach into their work. We will share ideas, challenges, opportunities, and materials that help organizations make this simple but profound idea a reality. We believe that the What Matters to You approach has the potential to transform the experience of both service providers and their clients. Our hope is that as more and more organizations in Northern California use the question “what matters to you?” to engage those they serve, individuals will experience services that are more responsive, and, therefore, more effective.
IHI’s Executive Director stated in a recent phone call:
“IMCF’s work to engage organizations with What Matters to You is unique among the ‘What Matters’ efforts because of the emphasis on engaging individuals in the community. This approach meets individuals outside of the health care system in a way that may expand their thinking beyond what matters medically. The information, of course, can be used to bridge what health means to an individual with health care’s role in supporting the best possible health for the individual. We are excited to see how this approach and the IMCF Imagine YOU® project can make a difference in health and health care.”
These organizations and individuals have already joined the community to explore including What Matters to YOU in their work:
Sonoma Valley Community Health Center
VOICES – Sonoma: Amarette Ficco, Health Navigator, Certified Imagine YOU Leaders
MyCareMyPlan Sonoma County: Jane Eckels, Chair, Steering Committee
Sonoma Valley Hospital: Kelly Mather, CEO
Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation- Cancer Care Sonoma, Pam Koppel, LCSW, Prog Director
Sutter Santa Rosa- Oncology Services: Cindi Cantril RN, MPH, Director Oncology Service Lines and Patient Navigation
Integrative Medical Clinic of Santa Rosa: Ellen Barnett, MD, PhD, Medical Director
To find out more or to join this community effort please contact:
Ellen Barnett, MD, PhD , Director of Outreach and Program Development drbarnett@imcfound.org 707-284-9225