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From the Article:

It’s no secret that US health systems are in need of major transformations. While some agents are trying to improve efficiency of current operations or promote better experiences for patients, others are embracing broader social factors influencing health outcomes. Many are developing new ways of working that are a better fit for people’s homes and social structures than medical environments. Several are searching for new ways to collaborate with stakeholders from non-traditional domains, such as arts and environmental conservation, to increase access to broader and more diverse healing and health promotion pathways. Very few deny the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare how larger social determinants such as housing, employment, social support structures, mental health, social isolation, and access to safe areas for physical activity impact the overall health and well-being of individuals and communities.

It was in this context that Reena Shukla, the Design Lab’s first Builder Fellow, thought to explore the value design brings to the early stages of complex initiatives. While at the D-Lab, Reena experienced the usefulness of design in helping organizations navigate the uncertainty of complex new endeavors laden with not only concrete factors driven by technology and economics, but also ambiguous behavioral factors driven by emotion and culture. She then saw an opportunity for design to support organizations behind an emerging movement in the US: social prescribing.

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