Our Story

From 2014-2015 Susan Dix Lyons served as a Fellow and Lecturer at Stanford’s Hasso Plattner School of Design – known internationally as the d.school. Her work over that year centered on bringing to the U.S. what she had learned about providing high-quality healthcare to vulnerable populations in rural Latin America over nearly a decade as the Founder of a global health nonprofit. At the d.school, Susan was immersed in the empathy-based approach of human-centered design, learning new methods to innovate and create solutions to big, thorny problems. She visited rural health clinics in California, interviewed providers and patients across healthcare settings, worked with the rural homeless, and also studied systems and businesses that were exceptionally good at achieving their aims – including Facebook and Google, as well as concierge medical practices and well-loved business icons such as In-and-Out Burger and Tesla. She met with immigrant and displaced populations who were struggling to get care and attention to better understand their needs. And with the support of her Fellows cohort and d.school faculty, Susan worked on a prototype that could work in rural health settings in the U.S.

Peter Stanley was her partner in this work. The founder and principal of his own design, build and planning business, Peter has nearly three decades of experience building and managing complex projects. He was a founding Board member of Clinica Verde, the global health nonprofit that Susan founded in 2007, and they often discussed how great it would be if they could address the challenges facing rural and community health in the U.S.

Verday Health was born.

Susan and Peter share a heart for rural and community health, and a passion for how design can be used to amplify wellbeing and quality. Verday Health is driven by a commitment to designing thoughtful and inspiring spaces that are flexible and efficient, while supporting the community, health providers, and the individual patient with compassion and respect.

Finally, to honor and support the early beginnings of our work and partnership, Verday Health dedicates 2% of gross profits to Clinica Verde and their work to provide health and hope to families living in poverty in Nicaragua.