Healwell
We make massage therapy matter.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Healwell makes massage therapy (MT) matter. We partner with hospitals to conduct research about feasibility, integration and the value of MT. We provide MT in healthcare, train massage therapists (MTs) and other professionals in skills that make MT a collaborative addition to care and educate decisionmakers and clinicians to support the shift toward whole human care. In 2016, the CDC made recommendations away from pharmacologic therapies that inspired a number of organizations to make powerful statements about the imperative of greater access to non-pharm therapies. Doctors are not able to make these referrals because insurance companies have not made the necessary shifts in coverage. Healwell addresses 3 key issues: 1. Most MTs lack the training to make a real contribution to healthcare 2. There is little quality research about the effectiveness of MT in these settings/populations. 3. Volunteerism is the expected way to incorporate MT for both MTs and institutions.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Massage Therapy in Clinical Settings
Healwell changes the way it feels to live with acute, chronic, and serious illness by providing exceptional, meaningfully-integrated massage therapy provided by compassionate and skilled massage therapists in hospitals and other care settings. Our massage therapists partners with the medical teams in these facilities and provide specifically adapted and supportive massage therapy to children and adults who are living with cancer and other serious illnesses in acute and long-term care facilities.
Healwell provides over 1,300 hours of massage annually at the facilities it serves.
Interdisciplinary Education
Healwell improves quality of life for people affected by acute, chronic and serious illness. We are highly skilled and compassionate massage therapists and we create interdisciplinary education opportunities to raise the level of practice of all practitioners who seek to improve outcomes and the experience of illness by bringing humans back to the center of all care in all settings.
Research
Healwell works in partnership with healthcare providers and facilities to demonstrate the ability of massage therapy to measurably improve outcomes for patients through clinically sound, replicable methods. We are measuring the effect of massage therapy on the pediatric and adult experience of cancer treatment, recovery from cardiac conditions, and hospitalization for a variety of other serious diseases.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Chamber of Commerce 2017
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Healwell aims to improve quality of life for people affected by acute, chronic, and serious illness. We aim to create and support a meaningful shift in the body of knowledge and experience that will open the door to greater access and reimbursement for massage therapy as a healthcare intervention. Healwell aims to build a massage therapist workforce that is trained to meet the clinical and educational demands of the healthcare setting and complexities presented by human illness.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Healwell brings research, education and service together to make massage therapy matter.
We develop partnerships to conduct clinical research about the feasibility of meaningful integration of massage therapy (MT), about MT’s effect on patient experience, opioid use, pain, anxiety and other factors.
We provide advanced training for licensed massage therapists to work with people affected by serious illness. Our courses include clinical content, but also communication with healthcare professionals and how to come into closer contact with one’s own mortality, biases and limitations. A clinically excellent MT is never as useful as a clinically excellent MT who also possesses deep, accessible self-knowledge. We cultivate curious, well-rounded practitioners who are prepared to meet real humans in real places in real ways.
We also develop and staff integrated service programs providing massage therapy as part of a healthcare team in integrated environments.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Healwell harnesses the energy and experience of its three primary staff members, Executive, Operations and Service Directors, to address its three program areas and to deliver on a vision that changes healthcare not only in the DC metro, but throughout the US. Each has a strong background in MT and MT education. In addition, they bring excellent written and spoken communication skills, a keen interest in healthcare trends and barriers and experience in policy change and service delivery.
Our board of directors adds valuable resources ranging from large-scale and community-based fundraising to association and non-profit management, education, finance and research. Each trustee has a connection to the need for change in healthcare. Healwell’s financial health, clarity of communication and community outreach all benefit from this mix of experienced and passionate professionals.
Healwell has also mobilized an impressive fleet of physician and allied health champions.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Healwell has
- developed service programs in 5 of the DC metro area’s largest hospitals.
- taught more than 1,000 MTs and allied health professionals from all over the world.
- published clinical MT research with our partners
- secured large-scale community grants in partnerships
- been instrumental in creating a national standard for oncology massage training
- grown steadily in both service reach and revenue, since 2010
Within the next 5 years, Healwell will:
- conduct and publish at least 3 clinical studies
- partner directly with at least 2 more DC metro hospitals/hospital systems
- become an active voice and advisor in the conversation with policymakers about increased access and reimbursement
- develop new educational offerings that build on interdisciplinary care and interprofessional training
- have at least 30 MTs working in 12 service programs through the DC metro
- include clinical program development consulting as a mission-driven revenue stream
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Healwell
Board of directorsas of 08/21/2023
Mary Ester
Mary Ester
Consumer Reports
Kelly Mack
Caroline Hamric
Rory Farrand
NHPCO
Angela Wrubleski
Jeff Kost
Tara Coles
Gabriela DeAnda
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/11/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.