HEALing Our Nation - Health Equity Achieved Through Lifestyle Medicine Capturing Highlights From the "HEALing Our Nation" Session at LM2023 and Outlining the Important Work of the HEAL Initiative

Abstract

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, health equity has been placed front and center in the conversations surrounding healthcare as well other fields. This conversation has also been occurring in the field of lifestyle medicine with an intentional focus on developing solutions at the intersection of lifestyle medicine and health equity. Initiated by a call to action by ACLM Past President Dexter Shurney at the 2019 Lifestyle Medicine conference, the HEAL Initiative was created with that intention, to address health disparities and advance health equity through lifestyle medicine. Since 2019, the HEAL initiative has grown considerably in its work and impact, creating solutions aligned with the AMA strategic planning recommendations as well developing projects that are examples of community engaged-lifestyle medicine. The work of the HEAL initiative culminated in a full circle moment at the 2023 Lifestyle Medicine Conference which featured an interview (facilitated by Dr. Dexter Shurney) with former US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams and review of HEAL's work over the past 3 years. This article will capture the key highlights of the HEALing our Nation opening session and the cumulative work of HEAL Initiative.

Keywords: community partnerships; health equity; lifestyle medicine.