Inspiration & Values

Our Inspiration

Imagine walking along a river and noticing that people were caught in the current and drowning.

What’s causing all this? You walk further up and notice there is no fence blocking people from falling into into the water. Would you continue to pull people out of the water, or decide to build a barrier to prevent more people from drowning?

These two choices address two different approaches to healthcare: downstream and upstream healthcare. Downstream healthcare means pulling each individual out of the water, representing how healthcare can focus on treating each individual and their symptoms reactively. Upstream healthcare, however, would mean building a safety fence at the top of the stream so that individuals cannot drift out. This reflects the necessity of addressing the root causes of illness in a community.

The main philosophy of upstream healthcare is based on the question, "How do we prevent this problem from ever happening again?” As patient health advocates, we aim to provide resources for variety of factors such as housing, food access, mental health, and transportation that can lead to the downstream disease and illness.

Our Values

01 Act with empathy and respect.

We strive to treat everyone with empathy and respect. This goes for everyone we encounter: patients, physicians, and one another. This means keeping an open mind, listening to others without judgment, and working collaboratively to solve problems.

02 Work to empower and educate.

Our work aims to empower families with the information and support needed to live healthy lives. Through our services, we actively listen to our patient’s stories, provide them with resources, and work with their doctors to meet their needs. We also seek to educate ourselves and foster a supportive community on campus.

03 Research and innovate.

We strive to improve ourselves, our services, and our resources. We rely on data to evaluate and expand our resource database, patient intake process, and resource delivery methods. Our team constantly seeks to identify problems and implement unique solutions.

04 Collaborate and communicate.

We believe that working collaboratively yields better results than working alone. Our success and continual growth depends upon the collective passion, energy, and contributions from all our members. We combine our shared skill sets and knowledge to serve our patients and implement long-term, meaningful changes.