Episode 13: Dr. Morgan Wills – President & CEO – Whole-Person Approach to Healthcare, Overcoming Cultural Barriers, and the Need for Relationships in Primary Care

Summary

In this episode, our guest is Dr. Morgan Wills, President and CEO of Siloam Health.

Wills shares deeply meaningful stories and experiences around Siloam’s whole-person approach to healthcare, overcoming cultural and language barriers to provide care to Nashville’s most vulnerable populations, and the need for relationships in primary care.

Listeners will love Wills’ thoughtful perspective on caring for humans and will be inspired by the work Siloam Health does.

Show Notes

Whole-Person Approach to Healthcare

The founders of Siloam Health had a vision to provide health care to Nashville’s most vulnerable communities that focused on the whole person, instead of just a problem to be solved or disease to be managed. This approach has had significant impact on their patients’ health outcomes and their ability to care for people that the traditional healthcare system often can’t – including immigrants and refugees.

Wills gives insight into how the private healthcare sector can take a more holistic approach by getting back to their roots of hospitality that engage the body, mind, and spirit. The U.S. is incredible at downstream, acute care, but often falls short with upstream, preventative care – the most recent example being the inability to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Siloam uses many tactics within their whole-person approach that Wills discusses such as integrated behavioral health consultants, motivational interviewing and health coaching, addressing social determinants of health, and even the ability to find and choose healthy food options.

Overcoming Cultural Barriers

The work Siloam Health does is especially important because of the population they serve. There are over 80 nationalities and 70 languages represented in their patient population, and their integration of paid staff, volunteers, and community networks equip them to address cultural and language barriers more effectively than large healthcare systems that make it difficult for immigrants to understand the care they need.

Wills shares his unique journey of becoming a doctor and ultimately working at Siloam that started with a transformative experience while working in a medical mission hospital in Africa. “The best way to see your own culture is to step outside of it,” said Wills as he reflected on his change in perspective for how to care for people.

The Need for Relationships in Primary Care

This change in perspective is most visible in Wills’ beliefs on relationship-centered primary care. Wills explains that his relational faith informs his relational care, and unfortunately, relationships are usually missing in Western medicine. Having a consistent relationship with your primary care provider is declining in the U.S. But Wills shares meaningful stories that clearly show the value of a longitudinal relationship between providers and patients that make it easier to deliver effective care.

Combatting COVID-19 in a Nashville Hotspot

The conversation ends with how Siloam opened a new location in one of the hardest hit neighborhoods of Nashville by the pandemic. They played a crucial role in flattening the curve and continue to educate their patient population about the vaccine.

Initiatives like their Community Health Program reveal why Siloam Health is an incredible prototype for other U.S. healthcare systems. Applying some of their unique whole-person care approaches could positively impact the care provided to the overall population.

To support the work they do, you can donate to Siloam Health by visiting their website here.