HEALTH
TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW
PEOPLE OF COLOR FACE HIGHER RATES OF ILLNESS , LACK OF REPRESENTATION
STORY BY MAKENNA HALL PHOTOS BY BILL HANSON
Southern Indiana is constantly critiqued for its lack of diversity in the medical world , for treatment of both physical and mental health .
Lack of representation in healthcare can result in people of color having mental and physical illnesses that go untreated or are misdiagnosed .
People of color also face higher rates of certain illnesses , making it even more challenging that seeking medical attention comes with its own adversity .
The reasons people of color see these issues more than their white counterparts cannot be boiled down to a single factor , though they can all be traced back to systemic racism in play in the country .
Centuries of inequality and discrimination have resulted in the lack of representation , racist language used in medical notes and people of color facing higher levels of stress .
While there is no simple solution to a problem as large and vast as racism , Indiana workers are busy implementing changes to make the world of healthcare more equitable .
Bonifacio Aleman , the health equity program manager at LifeSpring , noted the importance of approaching these health disparities with a critical race lens .
LifeSpring looks to offer comprehensive services for both mental health and primary care , for anyone regardless of insurance or ability to pay .
With LifeSpring , Aleman is looking to find the health disparities based on
24 2022 Diversity Magazine