Bravewell and the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health sign collaborative agreement

We are therefore delighted to announce that The Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health has recently signed an historic agreement to establish a partnership with the Bravewell Collaborative focused on improving the health of the public in both countries by advancing the use of integrated health.

As partners we will undertake joint opportunities that advance the field of integrated health by sharing information about models of care, promoting rigorous outcomes-based research, and developing programmes for the education and training of healthcare professionals.  Our two organisations will also work together to acknowledge and support those who lead the field in a collaborative manner.

The Need for Change

'American medicine faces threats from two directions.  First is the inflating cost of health care, which threatens the entire economy of the United States.  Second, under the pressure of economic and bureaucratic constraints as well as the seduction of technology, conventional medicine has become separated from its roots of caring, engaging with patients and meeting their real needs.  This has caused many (at least one third of the adult population) to use integrative approaches as an element of their healthcare,' explained Diane Neimann, Executive Director of the Bravewell Collaborative. 

The United Kingdom faces similar challenges and, according to the most recent statistics, at least one person in five in the UK has turned to complementary medicine for many of the same reasons.

'Integrated health addresses these threats,' said Kim Lavely, Chief Executive for The Prince’s Foundation.

'Responsibility for our health isn't something that people can simply delegate to doctors and medicine.  Many aspects of health are a reflection of the way we live our lives.  Factors like fulfilling work, strong communities, the buildings we live in, our relationship with the natural world and the food we eat directly affect our wellbeing.  So the first step in integrated health is helping people to make choices that keep them well and out of the healthcare system.'

Part of the strength of an integrated approach is that it addresses the whole person, not just the disease or symptom.  'Integrative medicine advocates for patient-centered care that focuses on healing the whole person—mind, body, spirit in the context of community,' explained Christy Mack, President of the Bravewell Collaborative.  'It integrates the best of scientific medicine with a broader understanding of illness and healing, and educates and empowers people to be active participants and responsible for their own care, health and wellness.'

The two organisations — The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health and the Bravewell Collaborative — believe that by shifting the focus of healthcare to include prevention, health maintenance, early intervention and patient-centered care, that integrated health holds the power to improve the health of the public and transform the economic models that impede the healthcare systems in both countries.

The Bravewell Collaborative

Formed in 2002, the Bravewell Collaborative is a community of philanthropists in the United States dedicated to bringing about optimal health and healing for individuals and society. An operating foundation, Bravewell develops and manages strategic initiatives that support integrative approaches to healthcare. Embracing rigorous research and scientific approaches in the entirety of its work, the Bravewell Collaborative’s initiatives include programmes to educate the general public, change the way physicians are educated, develop leading clinical centres as models for change, acknowledge and support leaders in the field, and promote translational and outcomes-based research.  Most recently, the Bravewell Collaborative has established the first practice-based research network in integrative medicine and is working with the Institute of Medicine at the National Academies of Science to produce a National Summit on Integrative Medicine.  Find out more about the Bravewell collaborative..

The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health

The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health was founded in 1993 by HRH The Prince of Wales to promote integrated healthcare for all citizens of the United Kingdom.  The Foundation primarily works with policy makers and health professionals to increase access to integrated health, and to inform and educate the people who shape health policy, such as the media, the general public and other stakeholders.  The Foundation sponsors the annual Integrated Health Awards, which spotlight projects with an innovative approach to health and wellbeing.  Also concerned with oversight and public safety, the Foundation has facilitated the creation of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council, a new regulatory body whose mission is to protect the public by registering complementary health practitioners and providing a means of redress if things go wrong.  For more information about The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health, please go to about us.