Embodying Empathy For Systems Change

A Needed Approach to Healthcare Policy

Embodying Empathy: A Needed Approach to Healthcare Policy

Within the intricate landscape of American healthcare, a million challenges persist - but I’m writing today on one that extends its reach far beyond behavioral healthcare alone. This challenge not only hinders the progress of nearly all healthcare industries but also casts a shadow of frustration (read: rage and grief) over healthcare professionals and their patients or clients seeking healing. This challenge is the "empathy gap" – a disconnection between policymakers who shape healthcare policies and the healthcare professionals who deliver care.

Picture this scenario:

A group of policymakers assembles in a boardroom to deliberate on healthcare reform. They meticulously analyze budget allocations, engage in debates over reimbursement rates, and scrutinize data on patient outcomes. What's often missing from this high-level discourse is a genuine comprehension of what it entails to navigate the world of delivering healthcare services as one human being to another in need.

Healthcare professionals across all specialties are the unsung heroes of our society. They grapple daily with intricate medical conditions, complex emotional states, and life-altering decisions. All this is done under constraints of limited resources, increasingly high and complex caseloads, and systemic barriers that obstruct the delivery of optimal care at every turn.

Sometimes I wonder to myself, “How would this be different if our moral injuries, spiritual scars and emotional turmoil were as visible as physical injuries?”

Photo by Sinitta Leunen on Unsplash