Planetree is a nonprofit organization of hospitals and other health care organizations founded in 1978 and headquartered in Derby

Derby, Connecticut

Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,391 at the 2000 census. With of land area, Derby is Connecticut's smallest municipality.The city has a Metro-North railroad station called Derby – Shelton.-History:...

, Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

, in the United States. It aims to provide more personal and human care in hospitals. The organization was founded by Anna Jaques after her frustration at impersonal treatment as a patient. Planetree provides education and information in a collaborative community of healthcare organizations, facilitating efforts to create patient-centered care. Patient-centered organizations also focus on supporting the professional and personal aspirations of their staff members. The group is named after the sycamore

Sycamore

Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....

, or plane tree, that Hippocrates

Hippocrates

Hippocrates of Cos or Hippokrates of Kos was an ancient Greek physician of the Age of Pericles , and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine...

sat under when he taught medicine.

Planetree also includes member hospitals in Brazil, Japan, Netherlands and Canada.