A Day of Insight and Connection

As Blooming Day Maryland wrapped up, the energy in the room reflected a shared commitment: building stronger communities through collaboration. Kavitha Gnanasambandan, PhD, CCO and Co-Founder of Blooming Health and Phil Harker, VP of Sales from Blooming Health, led a closing discussion that captured the key lessons and inspiration from a day of panels, conversations, and community engagement.

“Health is local,” Kavitha reminded participants. “Whether we define health as food, housing, transportation, or medical care, all of those are driven by regional factors. Traveling the country and building our platform has shown us that each community has unique challenges and unique solutions.”

Collaboration, Sustainability, and Interoperability

Phil highlighted the top themes emerging from the event: collaboration, sustainability, interoperability, engagement, and health equity.

Collaboration: The event brought together health systems, payers, community-based organizations (CBOs), and government agencies—many of whom had never spoken to each other before. “The solution to the problem isn’t singular,” Phil explained. “It’s all coming together to figure out how to do it.”

Sustainability: Participants acknowledged the ongoing challenge for CBOs to maintain operations and secure long-term funding. Recurring revenue streams through direct contracting with health plans, rather than short-term grants, were highlighted as a key path forward.

Interoperability & Engagement: Across systems—whether healthcare, government, or social services—data often lives in silos. Breakthroughs in data sharing and scalable follow-up are critical to delivering outcomes efficiently.

Health Equity at the Forefront

Equity remained a throughline in every discussion. Kavitha reflected on a quote from Roots by Alex Haley: “Though we are different tribes and tongues, remember we are all the same people.” The message was clear: regardless of background or community, everyone deserves access to the services that drive real health outcomes.

Turning Insights Into Action

Audience members shared their takeaways and next steps, from engaging hospitals and health plans in direct partnerships to scaling volunteer-based initiatives like the village movement. Many noted the operational efficiencies Blooming Health can provide, from coordinating rides to appointments to capturing outcomes and reporting on impact.

“We’re not just providing a platform,” Phil said. “We’re giving CBOs the tools to gain scale and efficiency without adding operational burden. Even using parts of the platform can help organizations deliver more services to more people effectively.”

Blooming Health’s Maryland Resource Directory now brings together 16,000+ verified, active community resources, making it easier for residents to find support and for CBOs to reach those who need them most. Organizations can claim a free profile and access automation tools at no cost, strengthening capacity without adding operational strain. By connecting social and healthcare systems, Blooming Health enables measurable, lasting change across Maryland communities.

Get a demo with Blooming Health today and see how your organization can streamline operations, scale impact, and deliver real results.