Wyoming 211 2025 Bridging the Gap Conference Recap

As I attempted to make my way west to Casper, Wyoming, I was reminded of a key element required for delivering whole-person care: empathy.  

I was heading to Wyoming 211’s Bridging the Gap Conference to moderate an opening panel on building stronger bridges for healthy communities. These bridges are built from trust, collaboration, integrated data, and a willingness to co-design solutions with community partners. While stuck at the Dulles Airport in D.C. with thousands of other stranded travelers, I witnessed a woman who spoke little English working to make sense of how she would get to Munich now that her flight was canceled. She pleaded with different gate agents to assist her, and they kept pointing to the small business card United Airlines had handed out with a QR code to get online support for rebooking. The code and site were not working, and she was distraught. After I watched a fourth agent respond without any customer service or care for this woman’s worries, I asked her, “How can I help?” I did not know what I could do, but I knew she needed a human connection, not just a QR code on a scrap of cardstock. With her hand on her head, she said, “I don’t really know.” I then asked if she was connected to the airport wi-fi. In all the chaos, she had forgotten this simple step. She was so distressed that she could not think clearly. We got her connected, and then things (slowly) started to fall into place. I stayed with her for a bit because she needed a partner while she calmed down. 

As I reflected on this experience, it occurred to me how relatable this interaction is to what caregivers face regularly – people who are not operating at their best or thinking clearly, but very much wanting help. As we work to build bridges (solutions) to improve whole-person care, we need to stay rooted in empathy. We need to be willing to walk in another’s shoes and view the problem through their lens.  

Long story short, I ended up flying back home to Portland, Maine, because getting to Denver on time to make it to Casper was no longer an option. I moderated the panel virtually, and though nothing beats being in-person with Civitas members and their partners, we (Ann Clement, Deb Anderson, Jackie Sievers, Joy Doll, and Tracy Carver) had a great discussion.  

Here are some takeaways for consideration: 

• CommUNITY is all about people, inclusivity, togetherness, processes, and inviting different perspectives. 

• Integrated care – linking social, community, and health care services – requires partnership, intentionality, and a commitment to building trust. This does not just happen. Wise soundbites included: 

• • Develop shared agreements, set up community advisories, and commit to co-designing solutions 

• • You cannot just copy, paste, and repeat 

• • Stay curious and keep asking why 

• • There is a difference between well-intentioned and intentionality 

• • Get specific and start small 

• The biggest barrier to this work is not the technology, but sometimes it is 😉. As we talked about this, some great insights emerged: 

• • Don’t be afraid to dream and to ask for what you need 

• • Build from trust to establish data sharing agreements 

• • We need to keep working on social care data standards because good standards make data sharing easier 

• • Neutral entities are key to supporting community partners in selecting their technology solutions 

• What even is “whole-person care”? There are different definitions out there, so we took a moment to explore this. 

• • It is about how we would want to receive care 

• • It is treating not just one issue, but looking more carefully at the root causes of poor health or underlying issues 

• • It is a willingness to accept that 80% of what makes someone well happens outside of a health care setting

• • It is our ability to get data back to people in a way that they can understand and use, so they are empowered to make decisions about their own health 

• • It is breaking down barriers to our complicated and confusing systems to help people navigate care 

I was sad to miss the rest of the event but left this opening session feeling inspired to keep working on the pursuit of whole-person care in partnership with so many dedicated Civitas members, partners, and individuals who share this vision. I hope others will share more takeaways from the event so we can keep learning and pushing for better outcomes.