An Important Message from CEO Angie Truesdale

Building Community is One of Our Core Values

A Message from Centering Healthcare Institute's CEO, Angie Truesdale
(angietruesdale)


The U.S. political and cultural climate is changing. We’ve experienced abrupt shifts in just the past couple of weeks - many of which have caused great worry and fear for many people. I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge this and share how the Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI) team seeks to remain strong through this uncertainty.



At CHI, building community is one of our core values. It’s seen in the Centering model itself where we gather groups of patients and their healthcare team to connect, share experiences and manage their care. One person’s question is another one’s question and individuals quickly find comfort in knowing they are not alone in their experience. When we bring people together for care this way there will often be diversity in age, race, socioeconomic status, and culture. It turns out that these differences are less noticeable as women begin to share the common interest and experiences of pregnancy, birth and family.



This past weekend our CHI team gathered for our All Staff meeting in the woods of Rhode Island. We participated in team building activities and discussions focused on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I). We shared our stories with one another. We sat in circles. We had real, honest conversations. We listened. We disagreed and agreed with each other. We laughed. We cried. We built trust - ultimately strengthening our own working community. We renewed our commitment to one another and to every person we serve.



Community works. We see this every day in our Centering work and within our organization. As we all try to navigate the changes happening in our country, we stand committed to the building of community, unity and inclusiveness. We will bring the lessons learned to our personal lives, the everyday work we do, and the world around us. We will continue supporting our Centering sites with incredible resources, tools and consultation. We will stand as an ally with all of the people who are served in Centering, and are authentically committed to building meaningful partnerships and strong communities.


In gratitude,
Angie