Our Beginning
I Am Well Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded by a multi-disciplinary team of health and wellness professionals from across the healing spectrum. After more than 40 years working modern medicine, our founder, Shelly “Michele” Acker, brought together a Task Force from across the United States to transform America’s healthcare systems. The Task Force worked through the COVID-19 pandemic to develop the Whole Person Centered Optimal Health & Wellness Model. After they were finished, Shelly, along with Task Force Members, Shelia Voisard and Jordan Francis, joined with I Am Well Foundation’s first board members and I Am Well Darke County practitioners to bring the model to life.
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower Americans to identify, achieve and maintain their own unique optimal health and wellness by:
- Promoting the Whole Person Centered Optimal Health & Wellness Model;
- Connecting Americans to whole person centered optimal health and wellness information, education, providers and resources;
- Implementing a wide range of Pilot Projects in Ohio to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model while improving overall health outcomes; and
- Providing consulting and technical assistance to I Am Well Chapters.
Our Vision
We envision an America where all people are living at their highest health potential and are guaranteed access to whole-person, patient-centered optimal health care.
Our Core Beliefs
We believe:
- All people should be provided the opportunity to access health and mental health care services that empower and enable them to reach their own unique optimal health, regardless of income, employment status, or geographic location within the United States.
- Prevention, education and action plans are key in moving the America’s health model from a “sick care” focus to an “optimal health” focus.
- A whole-person, patient centered model begins at birth and continues throughout the life of the individual.
- Barriers to health care and mental health care services should be eliminated, to include replacing the “insurance-based” health care model with the Single System Direct Service Universal Health Care model, ensuring transportation is included as an essential health care service, and recognizing alternative practices as integral to whole-person, patient-centered health care (among others).
- The role of caregivers is to “give care” rather than focusing on payer requirements, and this should be encapsulated in the whole-person, patient centered model.
Our Guiding Principles
- I Am Well Foundation should be guided and developed by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and stakeholders from across the healing and body/mind spectrum, including professionals from specialized fields, such as technology, transportation, and many others.
- I Am Well Foundation should intentionally address and eliminate disparities among traditionally marginalized patients, including racial disparities, and disparities for people with disabilities, people with a mental health diagnosis, people facing addictions, LGBT communities, people with lower income, and others.
- Staffing models and technology need to be addressed in order to ensure provider needs are also met in developing a new health care service delivery model.
Our Values
- Dignity: We honor the dignity and worth of patients, providers and members of the I Am Well Foundation Team.
- Respect: We respect the personal journey of patients and providers, and we respect the contributions of stakeholders and I Am Well Foundation contributors.
- Innovation: We believe in visionary approaches incorporating the latest in best practices and opportunities.
- Compassion: Building authentic, trauma-informed relationships are key to promoting overall wellness and health, and systems should be built with that in mind.
- Education: Patients should be fully informed of all their options, so that they can make the best decisions for themselves and their loved ones.
- Making the right choice the easy choice: Systems and designs should be accessible, with barriers eliminated as much as possible.
- Integrity: The administration of health and mental health services, including, policies, practices and procedures should be implemented with the highest of integrity.
- Supportive: Health and mental health services should offer advice and care with genuine encouragement, reassurance and validation.