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Revisiting health: from clinics to communities
This article is part of a series exploring health through a different lens from my own, which was shaped by my background as molecular biologist and as a consultant for the pharmaceutical industry.
The series is inspired by a ‘Collaboratory’ experiment: an exploration that brought together an eclectic group of people whose work is related to health, but who approached it from different angles.
In the previous article, I explored the changing definition of health, and the shift from a narrow biomedical lens, to a broader definition that incorporates social, environmental and political aspects.
Here, I would like to share with you a perspective that was introduced to the Collaboratory by the brilliant Cormac Russell, who generously joined us as a guest.
Cormac challenges the idea that healthcare services create health, advocating instead for community-led ecosystems that are grounded in local strengths, assets, and human connection. He sees the individuals in a community as agents of change and co-producers of health, not passive recipients of healthcare services.
Before we go any deeper on this topic, let’s start with a definition.
