Last week’s RISE Healthy Communities Summit delivered both inspiration and actionable insight. Across keynotes and panels, one theme remained constant: if we want better outcomes, we must design systems that reflect real lives. Here are five key takeaways from this year’s summit:
Resilience is a skill that fuels sustainable impact
Resilience was not framed as a reaction to hardship, but as a proactive, daily practice. During her keynote, Heather Denniston, DC, CCWP, professional speaker at WELLFIT and FED, encouraged attendees to rethink resilience as something that can be built, protected, and strengthened over time.
Rather than pushing through burnout, Denniston said it was more important to guard energy, reduce unnecessary decision-making, and align daily habits with long-term values. She also highlighted curiosity and discomfort as essential tools for growth, noting that resilience is strengthened when individuals are willing to try new things and step outside of their comfort zones.
Her approach positioned resilience not as a personal trait, but as a strategic advantage that allows leaders to remain effective, focused, and energized in complex environments.
Language matters, but people matter more
As conversations around health equity continue to evolve, speakers emphasized the importance of using language that resonates across audiences without losing sight of the people behind the terminology.
During the panel A Rose by Any Other Name: Changing Language, Continued Care, moderator Vandna Bhrany, MPH, principal at 8BAdvisors, guided panelists Rick Whitted, CEO of U.S. Hunger, Palak Jalan, CEO of AccessHealth, and Ellen Fink-Samnick, wholistic health equity strategist, content developer, educator at EFS Supervision Strategies, through a conversation that explored how shifting language can impact understanding, engagement, and outcomes.
At the same time, speakers urged attendees to look beyond semantics. The real work lies in ensuring that communication reflects dignity, builds trust, and recognizes the strengths within communities. The discussion underscored that while terminology may change, the goal remains the same: delivering meaningful, equitable care.
Community is built through consistency, not intention alone
Donna Cryer, chief patient officer at CryerHealth, brought a deeply personal and practical perspective to the conversation on community. Her session, Building Community in Times Designed to Break You, emphasized that community is not something that can be created overnight or through a single initiative.
Instead, she said, it is built through consistent effort, relationship-building, and a willingness to show up, even when engagement is low or progress feels slow. Cryer encouraged attendees to expand their definition of community to include unexpected partners and to focus on creating shared value for everyone involved.
Her message reinforced that trust is earned over time, especially in spaces where individuals may have experienced instability or unmet needs. Organizations that commit to being a steady, reliable presence are better positioned to create lasting impact.
Lived experience must guide innovation
One of the most powerful themes throughout the summit was the importance of centering lived experience in the design of health care systems and solutions.
During her keynote, Stories as Data: Using Lived Experience to Catalyze Innovation, Erica Olenski, board-certified patient advocate and founding executive director at August’s Artists, shared her son’s complex medical journey to illustrate how gaps in care become visible through real experiences.
Her framework, the Monarch Model, places lived experience at the center of innovation, surrounded by systems, technology, and access. The takeaway: Solutions built without input from those directly impacted risk missing the mark entirely.
Access alone does not equal equity
A recurring theme across sessions was the gap between what is technically available and what is realistically accessible.
In Avoiding Unintentional Inequity: Rules, Reality, and the Patient in Between, Koby Mitchell, director of utilization management at Simpra Advantage Plan, highlighted how patients can have coverage, approvals, and resources on paper, yet still be unable to receive care.
Through real-world examples, Mitchell demonstrated how factors such as cost, transportation, technology, and lack of support systems create barriers that are often overlooked in policy and program design. Her framework for capacity encouraged attendees to think more holistically about what patients truly need to navigate the system successfully.