National Minority Health Month with Intermountain Health
April is National Minority Health Month, and it raises awareness about the importance of improving the health of racial and ethnic minority communities and reducing health disparities. Health disparities are preventable differences in disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health. Intermountain works in this area to support their mission of “Helping people live their healthiest lives possible.”
Nevada is a diverse state and expected to have a 20 percent increase in diverse populations such as with Asian/Pacific Islander, African American, and Hispanic communities over the next 10 years.
“We want to be a leading part of that when it comes to healthcare, and making sure everyone is getting quality care, and they understand what is being spoken to them,” said LaTeisha Morgan, care management manager for Intermountain Health.
Intermountain Health is committed to make sure that our workforce reflects the communities they serve. This allows to gain better insight into diverse populations; not only ethnic groups, but also such as lower income or LGBT+ groups. It’s important as a health system to know what health factors each population faces.
There are several focus areas of health disparities that Intermountain that are working on to make positive change.
Intermountain is working to increase access to healthcare. Sometimes this is due to different languages spoken. Intermountain in Nevada works to provide high quality interpretation services for their patients. This can be done in real time in the clinics and ensures that patients and families truly understand their plan of care. They can make positive changes in this area by making sure clinicians are aware and prepared to care for patients needing interpretation.
Also, mental health in minority populations is another health disparity that is being focused on. Mental illness is often misunderstood and stigmatized. Intermountain works to start the conversations. This is the first step for many cultures to gain better understanding of mental illness. Intermountain Health is committed to partnering to find solutions to mental health access and issues.
To learn more, visit intermountainnv.org.
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