ONE Health is all about building positive relationships, and Shanyn said Renesa Clemons, LCSW, impressed her immediately by taking the time to talk to her about prioritizing her needs. As a person who entered this program over a year ago because of physical health issues and has dealt with my addiction, I can say with full-throated authority that the relationship-building approach is so much more effective than the shaming and blaming approach of most healthcare agencies. ONE Health is making sure they hear the voices of their patients while attempting to craft the best care possible for people who find themselves in difficult situations. We are people. We deserve good healthcare like everyone else. For us, good healthcare may mean digging a little deeper to find the root cause of the drivers of utilization. I find myself holding on more each day because I know Megan, Renesa and my therapist at Alliance Healthcare Services are pulling for me. This is because of the relationship we have built together. This relationship-building approach also finds its expression in Shanyn’s life, partially through the nonjudgmental model of complex care. “I’m not ashamed anymore. I even went back to my old church and they were happy to see me!” she said. My true calling is to reduce stigma around illness and recognize it is harmful to the health of the individual and the community. As a minister who lives with alcoholism and several other severe mental and physical health diagnoses, I am grateful every day for these professionals who make their work just personal enough to be useful. My favorite example of this is the joy – the genuine joy – they express when one of their patients gets housed, finds a job, finishes their GED or celebrates a sobriety birthday. As Shanyn and I cried together, we both agreed this treatment model deserves more attention. The Reverend Alaenor Faye London is currently a ONE Health patient. She is an advocate for health care and the founder and primary contributor at The Whole Human: A Movement from the Margins. 14 Regional One Health Foundation
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