If there is one word I hear repeatedly in conversations with Civitas members lately, it is transformation. Across the country, organizations are navigating new federal and state policy requirements, exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can support better care and operations, responding to funding uncertainties and opportunities, and building new partnerships to address complex community needs. We are living through a time of significant hardship for some, but also one filled with new prospects for others. It calls on us to see things differently and challenge how we always did things before.
And if we are honest with ourselves, the pace of change can feel relentless.
In moments like these, I think it’s important to remain true to our purpose at Civitas – collaboration, inclusion, shared learning, data-led, multistakeholder convening – while also embracing the uncertainty of rapid development and looking for new viewpoints into the future. In all of this, I believe one key factor determines whether transformation succeeds: trust.
Trust is what allows organizations to move through ambiguity together. It creates the confidence needed to adopt novel approaches, share information, collaborate across sectors, and make decisions that serve long-term community interests rather than short-term organizational priorities.
Community health, public health, rural health, and health care are all undergoing significant transformation resulting from new technology, public and private investment, and federal policy pathways. But in all this newness, we can stay grounded by being steadfast about building trusted relationships, transparent processes, and inclusive structures in which community partners co-design sustainable infrastructure.
Tech is Testing Trust Frameworks
Few topics are generating as much buzz, excitement, and uncertainty right now as AI and its many tech enhancements.
Across health care, public health, and social care, leaders are using forms of AI to improve efficiency, reduce administrative burden, uncover insights from data, and help address workforce constraints among many other things. The opportunities are significant – but AI is also challenging organizations to answer fundamental questions about governance, transparency, accountability, and human oversight.
- How do we ensure decisions remain centered on people’s wellbeing and good health?
- How do we identify and mitigate bias?
- How do we maintain transparency when technology becomes increasingly complex?
These are not technology questions; they are trust questions.
The organizations most successful in leveraging AI are not necessarily those that adopted it first. They are the ones that establish clear governance, communicate openly with stakeholders, and demonstrate that innovation can occur without compromising transparency, equity, or accountability.
Technology may accelerate transformation, but trust is what makes adoption sustainable. These two things must work synergistically. Trust helps organizations and partners remain adaptable. And adaptability may be one of the most important competitive advantages in today’s environment.
Strong Governance, No Questions Asked
One lesson I have learned from observing Civitas members for years is that strong governance is necessary.
Community governance ensures that the people affected by decisions have a meaningful voice in shaping them. It creates clear expectations around how decisions are made, how priorities are set, and how accountability is maintained.Whether we are talking about health information exchanges (HIEs), health data utilities (HDUs), community information exchanges (CIEs), all-payer claims databases (APCDs), quality improvement organizations (QIOs), or regional health improvement collaboratives (RHICs), successful initiatives are built on governance structures that create confidence among participants and establish accountability and shared ownership of outcomes. This emphasis on governance and multi-sector collaboration is a defining characteristic across the Civitas network.
Governance processes may slow down decision-making in the short term, but it frequently accelerates progress in the long term by creating the necessary trust for organizations and partners to move forward together.
Community Partners Need a Seat at the Table
As we respond to new health policy requirements and evolving community needs, there is growing pressure to move quickly. Yet speed and trust do not always work together. One of the most common themes I hear from community leaders is the importance of meaningful engagement, not simply consultation after decisions have already been made. Working with community partners at the outset of a project or initiative to determine the root causes of issues takes time, but surfaces key information that will almost always bring shared understanding and stronger solutions.
The strongest organizations working in data exchange and health improvement understand that trust is built when community partners are treated as collaborators rather than recipients. Committing to this process leads to trusted relationships. Convenors who recognize that people closest to the challenges often have the clearest understanding of how potential solutions succeed.
This is especially important as states and local organizations implement innovative programs, develop data-sharing strategies, and reimagine care delivery models. Community engagement is not a box to check – it is an investment in long-term success.
Trust: A Core Focus of the Civitas 2026 Annual Conference
It is not a soft skill, rather the foundation for critical infrastructure for health – and Civitas members sit at the center of this work.
Trust requires continuous investment, thoughtful stewardship, and strong leadership to endure – and for organizations to improve health care, it may be the most important asset we have.
We will soon gather together in Arlington, Virginia for the 2026 Civitas Annual Conference and continue conversations about AI, health data infrastructure, community-centered care, Medicaid transformation, and the future of health improvement, I hope we remember something simple: Technology will continue to evolve, policies will continue to shift, and new challenges will emerge, but the organizations that thrive will be those that invest in relationships, prioritize transparency, create meaningful opportunities for shared governance, and earn the trust of the communities they serve.
Want to join us to discuss this topic in more depth and see how Civitas members are building trust in the communities they serve nationwide? Join us at the conference – here are just a few sessions I will be paying attention to myself:
- September 22, 2026 – 8:15 a.m.-9:45 a.m. ET – Consent Governance in Health Data Exchange: Building Trust Through Shared Principles, Part 1
- September 22, 2026 – 10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. ET – Building Trust Through Data Standardization
- September 22, 2026 – 1:00 p.m.-1:45 p.m. ET – Building Trust in Clinical AI: Pediatric Asthma Care Augmented Intelligence Model
- September 23, 2026 – 9:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m. ET – Trust Through Partnership: Data Quality Frameworks
- September 23, 2026 – 1:15 p.m.-2:45 p.m. ET – Consent Governance in Health Data Exchange: Building Trust Through Shared Principles, Part 2
- September 23, 2026 – 3:45 p.m.-4:30 p.m. ET – Making Population Health Data Trustworthy at State Scale
Registration is open – I hope you’ll join us.
