Community As Medicine text with images of a person moving, an apple, a heart formed with two hands, and a person meditating

It's Health, Powered by Connection.

Our ApproachOur Impact

As seen on

NPR logoNew York Times iconNPR logo
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77%
‍Emergency
Room Visits
Arrow up
51%
Increased
Physical activity
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43%
Decreased Depression
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19pt
Lower
Blood pressure
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20%
Reduced
Social isolation

Check out our co-founder's TEDx Talk: Community As Medicine

In her TEDx talk, Dr. Elizabeth Markle explores the transformative impact of "Community As Medicine" in revolutionizing healthcare experiences. She calls conventional norms into question and asks the healthcare community to redefine possibilities for vitality, connection, and empowerment.

Watch on Youtube

We help people find health and wellbeing through joyful, trauma-informed, clinically-integrated, and culturally relevant coaching programs.

What is Community as Medicine™?
Community as Medicine™ is an equity-driven coaching model designed to support people as they learn to make and meet their health and wellbeing goals - while experiencing profound human connection.  
Our Partners
Open Source Wellness partners with clinical healthcare, insurers, community-based organizations, and employers to design and deliver high-impact, experiential group health coaching programs.
Organizational Training
Full Service Coaching
YMCA Partnerships
Food as Medicine Coaching
Speaking & Facilitation

We're on the forefront of bringing equity to health coaching.

The Community as Medicine™ model helps people make and meet the health and wellbeing goals that matter to them - while experiencing profound human connection.

Open Source Wellness partners with clinical healthcare, insurers, community-based organizations, and employers to design and deliver high-impact, experiential group health coaching programs.  

See who we work with

There are many ways we can bring Community as Medicine™ to you

We offer direct service delivery, training and licensing for your team to deliver the Community As Medicine model, and custom consulting.
Our Services

We help people find health and wellness through joyful, trauma-informed, and culturally relevant coaching programs.

Open Source Wellness partners with clinical healthcare, insurers, community-based organizations, and employers to design and deliver high-impact, experiential group health coaching programs.

The Community as Medicine™ model helps people make and meet the health and wellbeing goals that matter to them - while experiencing profound human connection.

See who we work with
Group coaching circleTwo people sharing a moment in a coaching session

There are many ways we can bring Community as Medicine™ to you

We offer direct service delivery, training and licensing for your team to deliver the Community As Medicine model, and custom consulting.
Our Services
Group coaching circleGroup sharing a meal at Open Source Wellness

Joyful, trauma-informed, and culturally relevant programs for health, wellbeing, and human connection.

Open Source Wellness partners with hospital systems, clinics, insurers, YMCAs, community-based organizations, and employers to design and deliver high-impact health coaching programs.

Our Community as Medicine™ programs help people make and meet the health and wellbeing goals that matter to them.

Two people sharing a moment in a coaching session
MOVE

Physical Activity

Fun, playful physical movement! We prioritize accessibility, interaction, and laughter while building strength, flexibility, balance, and cardiovascular fitness.
NOURISH

Healthy Meals

Culturally-relevant, plant-forward nutrition education and shared meals/snacks focus on helping people make food choices that work for their bodies, budgets, and communities.
CONNECT

Social Support

We center human connection in everything we do! Our coaches and graduate peer leaders help participants build skills of connecting, and help build robust and enduring relationships.
BE

Stress Reduction / Rest

Accessible, dogma-free approaches to relaxation, mindfulness, and sleep help our participants find ways of creating restfulness and ease in day to day life.

Human-centered interventions are not just kinder, they're more effective.

We engage demographically and diagnostically diverse groups in an experiential, interactive, and playful health coaching model. Our four pillars of wellbeing (left) form the foundation of our approach to wellbeing.

As coaches and facilitators, our team centers: 
Cultural Humility (a shared culture of respect, curiosity, and openness)
Vitality (joy, play, and self-expression)
Vulnerability (authentic and courageous sharing)
Shared Humanity (connecting around the common core of our health and wellness challenges and victories).
‍

Learn more about our approach
We offer direct service delivery, training and licensing for your team to deliver the Community As Medicine model, and custom consulting.
More about our services

Joyful, trauma-informed, and culturally relevant programs for health, wellbeing, and human connection.

Open Source Wellness partners with clinical healthcare, insurers, community-based organizations, and employers to design and deliver high-impact, experiential group health coaching programs.

The Community as Medicine™ model helps people make and meet the health and wellbeing goals that matter to them - while experiencing profound human connection.

Our human-centered interventions are not just kinder, they're more effective.

We engage demographically and diagnostically diverse groups in an experiential, interactive, and playful health coaching model. Our four pillars of wellbeing (Move, Nourish, Connect, and Be) comprise the foundation of our approach to wellbeing.

Our coaches and facilitators center: ‍

  • Cultural Humility: A shared culture of respect, curiosity, and openness
  • Vitality: Joy, play, and self-expression‍
  • Vulnerability: Authentic and courageous sharing
  • Shared Humanity: Connecting around the common core of our health and wellness challenges and victories
Review Our Outcomes
MOVE

Physical Activity

Fun, playful physical movement! We prioritize accessibility, interaction, and laughter while building strength, flexibility, balance, and cardiovascular fitness.
NOURISH

Healthy Meals

Culturally-relevant, plant-forward nutrition education and shared meals/snacks focus on helping people make food choices that work for their bodies, budgets, and communities.
CONNECT

Social Support

We center human connection in everything we do! Our coaches and graduate peer leaders help participants build skills of connecting, and help build robust and enduring relationships.
BE

Stress Reduction / Rest

Accessible, dogma-free approaches to relaxation, mindfulness, and sleep help our participants find ways of creating restfulness and ease in day to day life.

Community As Medicine™ addresses our biggest health challenges:

Group coaching sessionTwo women dancingShow and tell Seated stretching with exercise bands

Chronic Disease

6 out of 10 adults have Chronic Diseases.

Chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability, and the leading driver of the nation's $4.1 Trillion in annual health care costs.

Mental Health

Over 22% of Americans are experiencing a mental health challenge in a given year.
‍
Less than half receive treatment, which can be costly and inaccessible.

Social Isolation

60% of Americans report feeling lonely.

Young adults and elders are particularly likely to lack meaningful or nourishing social connection.

Inequity

Widening gaps in health outcomes across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic variables reveal a system that regularly and predictably fails our most vulnerable populations.

Everyone benefits when community becomes part of healthcare delivery.

Explore partnership with OSW

‍Participants experience meaningful improvements in health and wellbeing.  

‍Clinics achieve improved patient outcomes and clinician experience.

‍Community-based organizations (including YMCAs) build engaging, equity-centered, and financially sustainable programming.

‍NBHWC-accredited health and wellness coach training uplifts the next generation of trauma-informed health and wellness coaches.

Bay Area Community Health Native American Health CenterSAHAAlameda

Everyone benefits when community becomes part of healthcare delivery.

Explore partnership with OSW

‍Participants experience meaningful improvements in health and wellbeing.  

‍Clinics achieve improved patient outcomes and clinician experience.

‍Community-based organizations (including YMCAs) build engaging, equity-centered, and financially sustainable programming.

‍NBHWC-accredited health and wellness coach training uplifts the next generation of trauma-informed health and wellness coaches.

Bay Area Community Health Native American Health CenterSAHAAlameda

A few words from our participants and partners

Our mission at Open Source Wellness is to bring about a world in which everyone experiences abundant health, wellbeing, and human connection, especially those who have been historically excluded and marginalized. See what people are saying about our work.

Read more testimonials
OSW has been like a savior to me. I felt like my life was crumbling in and there was nothing I could do, but OSW gave me the support I needed to make changes.

Dana

OSW participant
Open Source Wellness provides a one stop shop to amplify the effect of primary care to improve health outcomes, address social determinants of health like social isolation, and improve patient and provider experience. Patients love the experience, administrators appreciate the increased volume of patients seen, and providers like myself get to recover the joy of medicine when we practice this way.
Recipe for Health

Steven Chen, MD

Chief Medical Officer, Recipe4Health
“Para mi, hay muchos cambios en mi alimentacion. Me acostumbré a comer de manera diferente. Ahora como
mucho menos azúcar y tortillas después del programa. Como más verduras. Pude equilibrar mis niveles de azúcar
en sangre. Ahora tomo menos pastillas y menos insulina. Mi diabetes es más manejable. Me crearon conciencia de
mi vida y mi salud fisica y mental.Es un gran apoyo para personas que necesitamos motivacion para tener una
vida mas saludable.”
Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center

Carlos, OSW Participant

Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center

Curious about OSW? Have you considered our health coach training?

Our National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches approved program prepares individuals and organizational partners for careers in health and wellness.

More about our trainings

OSW in the Media

TEDx Cherry Creek Women
Widsom 2.0 Community As Medicine: Vitality
National Council for Wellbeing
World Wide Business with Kathy Ireland
Design Museum Everwhere
Watch / Read / Learn

Want to become a health and wellness coach?

Our National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches accredited program prepares individuals and organizational partners for careers in health and wellness.
More about our trainings
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We deliver human connection and support for health behavior change, helping participants make and meet
the goals that matter to them. 
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