Operation Whole Health: An Operation Warp Speed Directed at Noncommunicable Diseases
Ryan R Burdick1, Michele J Maiers1,2, Andrea K Albertson1
1Northwestern Health Sciences University, Bloomington, MN, USA.
Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine
|July 10, 2026
Summary
Operation Whole Health offers a new framework to combat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). By integrating diverse health professionals and focusing on prevention, it aims to improve chronic disease management and reduce healthcare costs.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Systems Research
- Chronic Disease Management
Background:
- Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a major cause of illness, death, and healthcare spending.
- Current health systems are fragmented, hindering effective NCD prevention and management.
- Existing strategies are evidence-based but face implementation challenges due to system structure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose "Operation Whole Health," a framework for a paradigm shift in healthcare systems.
- To address the structural misalignment hindering NCD prevention and chronic disease management.
- To leverage lessons from large-scale public health responses (e.g., COVID-19) for NCD control.
Main Methods:
- Framework proposal based on lessons from the US COVID-19 response.
- Emphasis on mission clarity, cross-sector workforce integration, and sustained financing.
- Integration of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine professionals into prevention.
Main Results:
- Whole health models align clinical care with behavioral, social, and community health determinants.
- Expanding prevention capacity through underutilized professional competencies.
- Identifies policy prioritization, not scientific uncertainty, as a key implementation barrier.
Conclusions:
- A structural redesign of healthcare is needed to alter NCD trajectories.
- Operation Whole Health provides a mechanism for coordinated, prevention-oriented care.
- Implementing whole health models can stabilize long-term health expenditures and improve population health outcomes.
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