George Floyd – a response
Statement from Ben Harvey, CEO, and T.J. Warren, Board Chair, of the Indiana Primary Health Care Association on the Death of George Floyd
INDIANAPOLIS (June 8, 2020)— The Indiana Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) and Community Health Centers (CHCs) across Indiana stand with our communities in being shocked, upset, and distressed over the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
The protests sparked by his death have deep roots in the long-standing fight for social justice for black Americans and other racial/ethnic minorities in this country. Racial injustice, particularly towards black Americans, is a long-standing issue that is unconscionable in a democratic country founded on the principles of justice, equality, and liberty.
Born out of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, CHCs work daily to achieve social justice for communities and minorities throughout Indiana. Access to healthcare was one of the foundational issues of civil rights activists, and it is the foundation on which Indiana’s CHCs are built. CHCs in Indiana collectively provided primary care services to nearly 600,000 Hoosiers in 2019, over 50% of whom identified as being a racial/ethnic minority. Additionally, in 2019, Indiana’s CHCs provided primary care services for nearly 25% of all black Hoosiers.
IPHCA and CHCs are passionate in our pursuit of justice, equality, and liberty for all Hoosiers. As a CHC leader recently said, “We are not primarily a health care organization. We are a social justice organization that provides health care services”. As such, IPHCA and CHCs across Indiana will continue to work hand in hand with organizations like the Indiana Minority Health Coalition and the NAACP to secure justice and equality for all of our brothers and sisters. We will also seek to continuously engage and understand our communities, and strive to ensure that every Hoosier, no matter the color of their skin, has access to health care services that provide for the opportunity to enjoy the life and liberty guaranteed to all Hoosiers.
IPHCA is the voice of CHCs that provide primary and preventive health care to nearly 600,000 patients in rural and urban communities across Indiana. IPHCA advocates to advance health policy in state and national government. IPHCA offers operational support and training to health centers to enhance the delivery of integrated care inclusive of primary care, oral health, and behavioral health. IPHCA’s goal is to get ALL people in Indiana the proper health care they need.
For more information, please visit www.indianapca.org.
Contact: Mary Westerbeck, Executive Assistant
Indiana Primary Health Care Association
Phone: 317.630.0847