ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the development and implementation of Keralty’s ecosystem of care in Colombia, a community-centred model that integrates health care delivery with social, community, and educational strategies to improve health and well-being. Rooted in a fully integrated health system, Keralty’s approach is structured around three interconnected components: (1) building a community network of health assets, (2) incorporating a community approach within clinical care, and (3) fostering compassionate neighbourhoods through locally led communities of care. The model emphasises the identification and activation of formal, informal, and community-based resources, supported by community health workers and an open-access health asset platform. Within health care settings, social connection and loneliness are systematically assessed using validated tools, enabling social prescribing pathways tailored to patients’ levels of readiness and need. At the community level, Fundación Keralty leads the creation of compassionate neighbourhoods, empowering residents to map care needs, develop local leadership, and co-design practical solutions to support caregiving, connection, and well-being. Early results demonstrate high uptake of social prescriptions, improved patient experiences, strengthened social networks, and preliminary evidence of reduced health care utilization and avoided costs. The chapter illustrates how integrating community assets, social connection, and local leadership into health systems can contribute to more person-centred, sustainable, and effective approaches to health and well-being, positioning communities as the smallest and most fundamental unit of health.
