Melding medical excellence with tenderness and love
[2 MIN READ + VIDEO]
Caring for the whole person is a commitment from Providence. It’s an underpinning belief that guides the way all caregivers engage, support and treat every person who comes to Providence. We take the time to see the entirety of our patients and partner to chart a path to get them living life on their terms.
In this short video (3:00), Dr. Ira Byock, founder of the Institute for Human Caring at Providence, outlines the vision for whole person care and the four organizing principles that drive our patient-centric approach to health and wellness.
“We want the patients and families we serve to feel that people who are ill are being cared for in a way that is medically excellent, but also in ways that honor their inherent human dignity.”
We encourage you to watch the video below or continue reading to learn about the four organizing principles for delivering care for the whole person.
Organizing principles
1. Whole-person well-being
- Every person we serve at Providence is a whole person
- Physical comfort & emotional well-being
- Interpersonal & social well-being
- Spiritual well-being
2. Personalized care for patients and families
- Medical science and technology
- Illness caregiving and grieving
- Dying and grieving
3. Quality of care
- Treatments consistent with values, preferences and priorities of the people we serve
4. Sovereignty over illness
- Dying, caregiving and grieving belongs to families and communities
- Whenever possible bringing families and communities together to give patients a sense of community throughout their care journey
Learn more about whole-person care and the Institute for Human Caring.