The Power of Community in Health Transformation

Success comes from support. We are actually more strongly impacted by our peers and social networks than by our genetics—this is huge when it comes to changing our health. That’s why I’m such an advocate for community-based healthcare. Putting people in groups, where they can be heard by others in similar situations, supported, and held accountable is an incredible tool for creating long-lasting change. I’ve seen this thousands of times at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, where we provide a Functioning for Life program using this model, and it’s revolutionizing healthcare. I’m really excited to talk more about this on my latest episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, with James Maskell and Tawny Jones. 

James Maskell has spent the past decade innovating at the cross-section of Functional Medicine and community and created the Functional Forum, the world’s largest Functional Medicine conference with record-setting participation. His organization and first book of the same name, Evolution of Medicine, prepares health professionals for this new era of preventive medicine. Tawny has been an accomplished Administrator at the Cleveland Clinic for 19 years. She leads clinical operations at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, sharing the efficacy of Functional Medicine and demonstrating its cost-effectiveness and ability to improve health. The Functioning for Life shared medical program for chronic disease management is her brainchild. 

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Here are more of the details from this episode: 

• How I came to understand that community is the solution to effective healthcare (7:15)

• Addressing loneliness through group medical visits (14:18)

• Applying a Functional Medicine approach to shared medical visits (20:36)

• The retention rate, profitability and health outcomes of group programs at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine (CCCFM) (26:36)

• Examples of how other Functional Medicine practices are applying the healthcare group model (32:18)

• Scaling this model across the healthcare system (42:20)

• How the shared medical appointment model protects against burnout amongst doctors and healthcare practitioners (42:44)

• An incredible success story of a CCCFM Functioning for Life patient participant (48:06)

• Replicating the CCCFM Functioning for Life program model and revolutionizing the healthcare system (53:05)

• Applying community and group models in underserved and minority communities (57:30)

Pre-order James’ book, The Community Cure: Transforming Health Outcomes Together, today at www.thecommunitycure.com. 

Find James online at http://www.jamesmaskell.com/ and follow him on Instagram @mrjamesmaskell and on Twitter @mrjamesmaskell.

Learn more about the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine at https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/functional-medicine.

Learn more about Functioning for Life™ Practitioner Training Boot Camp at https://fflbootcamp.simplybook.me/v2/.

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