Welcome to our inaugural episode of How Healing Works! I’m happy you’re here.
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Kavitha Reddy, the Associate Director of Employee Whole Health in the VHA Office of Patient-Centered Care and Cultural Transformation (OPCC & CT). Dr. Reddy has a wealth of knowledge to share in the area of whole person care. This is why I asked her to be our first guest. We discuss the Veterans Affairs’ perspective on whole person care through a program called Whole Health (https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTH/), including the use of a tool they created and I’ve adapted for non-VA environments called the Personal Health Inventory.
We explore questions that clinicians can ask their patients and themselves to understand them as a whole person. One question I like to start with is: “What matters to you?” This simple question can jumpstart a journey to healing. In our conversation we also discuss, “How do you motivate and engage your patients to care about their health? As Dr. Reddy says, “It’s all interconnected. If you want to work on your sleep, and that’s where your motivation is, it will absolutely impact how you eat, how you move, how you’re able to work with your colleagues and interact with your family. There’s no wrong starting point and I think that’s the part of the transformation piece. We’re used to sharing our information and wanting to fix. We have to step back and let them express where they’re motivated to start and then we start to see meaningful change.”
Watch the full interview here: https://vimeo.com/805971904?share=copy
Below are links to topics discussed in this episode.
VA Whole Health: https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTH/
Personal Health Inventory: https://drwaynejonas.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/PHI-Flyer-V11-Color.pdf
CME Course–Introducing Whole Person Care into Your Practice: IntegrativeHealthCME.org
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Visit Healing Works Foundation http://www.healingworksfoundation.org for more information.
Contact: healing@healingworksfoundation.org
Dr. Wayne Jonas is a board-certified physician and Dr. Alyssa McManamon is a triple-board certified hematologist/oncologist. The opinions expressed on this show are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their places of employment, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the United States government. The opinions expressed on this podcast are meant for entertainment and education and should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition nor should they be used as a substitute for medical advice from a qualified, board-certified practicing clinician. Dr. Wayne Jonas and Dr. Alyssa McManamon have no relevant financial disclosures.