Stop Doing This! Where is Your Organization “Weathering” People?

This week on More Health, Less Healthcare, Peter Boland shines a spotlight on a concept that rarely appears in our benefit dashboards but shapes the lives of our patients, members, and colleagues daily: weathering. What is Weathering?As Peter Boland defines, weathering is what happens when people spend years inside systems—healthcare, employment, social services—that treat their bodies as expendable while blaming them for poor outcomes. It’s the cumulative, grinding effect of:Racism, sexism, and povertyChronic stress and bureaucratic hurdlesUnstable housing and low-wage workYou see it in the 35-year-old who looks 50, in the Medicaid member labeled ‘non-compliant’ after years of navigating prior authorizations. This isn’t just a sad coincidence. As Peter Boland reminds us, weathering is a product of how our systems are built and run.This weekend, wherever you work, notice one place where your organization is weathering people—a policy, a denial pattern, even a tone of voice. In your next meeting, ask: What would it take to stop? Not to pilot around it or build a workaround, but to actually stop.It’s an uncomfortable conversation, but one that matches the stories we say about equity and health.If you’re having these conversations—or struggling to start—I’d love to hear from you. Forward this episode to someone who sits in the rooms where decisions are made.Let’s move from “normal collateral damage” to “completely unacceptable.”