Letter: Diversity important in health care

People with differences of all types, including skin color, have different lived experiences resulting in different knowledge, insights and skills based on those lived experiences [Seth Morales: The inclusivity playbook for smaller companies, July 7]. Diversity becomes a competitive advantage when you can bring that added knowledge, insight and skill that a homogeneous team would lack.

Health outcomes are a great, well documented example of this. Part of the disparity in health outcomes is attributable to how people of color are treated by white practitioners vs. practitioners of color, even when the practitioners are “equally” skilled. So all other things being equal, it makes a difference for that patient.

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Kristen LaEace, CEO
Indiana Association of Area Agencies on Aging