This guide was created by community organizers, grassroots groups, and community members nationwide that prescribes real, tangible ways we can improve health outcomes for everyday people – especially Black, brown, and poor people.

Over two years, we spoke with hundreds of people about our healthcare system, hosting over 50 listening sessions with groups nationwide to determine: What’s going on? And how can we actually make people well? 

The Ideas Labs are a series of community-led conversations organized by Community Change and Powering Health Justice to center the voices of those most impacted by America’s broken healthcare system. From 2024 to 2025, more than 40 labs were conducted across 32+ states and Washington, DC, bringing together patients, healthcare practitioners, community organizers, and advocates to share their lived experiences and envision transformative solutions.

Participants described a healthcare system that too often prioritizes profit over people—where medical debt ruins families, racial bias determines who gets believed and treated, and language barriers leave immigrants navigating care alone. From a 7-year-old translating for her deaf immigrant mother in Florida to a Black woman discharged while septic in Louisiana, the stories reveal deep inequities that demand urgent action.