Basic Beliefs We Share as an Organization

1. AACH believes that the major medium of healthcare is the healing human relationship among service providers and recipients. We believe that benefits of our biotechnical services are severely limited without a highly performing interpersonal delivery system.

2. AACH believes in the highest quality, fully accessible and cost-effective healthcare for all.

3. AACH believes that relationship skills, communication skills, and teaching skills are infinitely learnable and teachable.

4. AACH believes that improved relationships and communication will enhance clinician and patient satisfaction, reduce errors and grievances, improve efficacy, efficiency and safety, and enhance health outcomes.

5. AACH believes that organizational investment in continual quality improvement of relationship and communication rewards the organization in many dimensions.

6. AACH believes in learner-centered methods of teaching and coaching, facilitating learner’s discovery of learning needs and preferred learning styles.

7. Every AACH employee, consultant and teacher strives every day in every way to provide the best possible service to our clients; we work continually to improve our quality.

8. We consistently live the relationship-centered human values we teach, with each other in the organization, and in our interactions with clients and interested others; we strive to remain curious about and respectful of all forms of diversity that our individual experiences bring to our relationships.

9. AACH is committed to evidence-based practice in healthcare and teaching grounded in highest quality research that continually informs our work.

10. AACH acts to assertively recruit under-represented minorities into our organization in order to assist the recruitment and training of under-represented minority healthcare workers and reduce healthcare disparities.

11. AACH is committed to human relationships grounded in integrity, congruence, transparency, empathy and unconditional positive regard.

12. As a non-profit human service organization, every member is committed to our mission and strives continually to assure that our resources are used on mission-centered activities.

This document was developed by participants at the 2009 Winter Course and edited by the Executive Committee which invites your comments.