There’s a quiet irony in the way we talk about AI – particularly in medical fields. The conversation almost always starts with fear — the fear of machines replacing people, of algorithms removing the heart from human work. But every now and then, a story surfaces that reminds us why technology exists in the first place: to serve us, not to shape us.
A Lesson from the Frontlines of Care
In behavioral health, where burnout is high and administrative demands can eclipse the reason people got into care to begin with, the promise of AI is not about doing less caring work — it’s about removing the friction that keeps people from caring more. As Willow Coefield, Clinical Director at Cedar Creek Integrated Health, put it during a recent panel discussion, “AI should fit how we operate, not force us to fit it.”
At ThreeWill, we couldn’t agree more — because that idea gets to the heart of what so many Home and Community-Based Service organizations are struggling with today. They’re not trying to reinvent care; they’re trying to reclaim the time and focus to deliver it. Every new system promises efficiency, but too often it ends up demanding that clinicians and coordinators bend their workflows to match the software. The result is fatigue, frustration, and more time spent managing systems instead of serving people.
Technology That Protects Empathy
The right kind of AI — the kind that’s tailored around real workflows and designed in partnership with the people who use it — can make us more human, not less. It takes the busywork off our desks and gives us back the time, focus, and energy to do the parts of the job that actually matter. When clinicians say things like “AI made my team more consistent, compliant, and focused on clients,” it isn’t about machines replacing empathy. It’s about machines protecting it.
Shaping Systems That Fit People
Still, meaningful change doesn’t happen overnight.
The organizations that get this right tend to “crawl, walk, run.” They start small — one program, one department — learn from their people, gather feedback, and tune as they go. Technology becomes a living part of the organization’s learning process, not a one-time rollout.
At ThreeWill, that’s the approach we advocate for every transformation — especially in Home and Community-Based Services, where the right technology can give care teams more time with clients and less time in front of a screen. Because progress isn’t about forcing people to fit a system — it’s about shaping systems that finally fit the people they serve.
