Dermatology providers work to make Veteran patient educational material more inclusive

But for many patients of color, including Veterans who visit a dermatology office, their skin tone or type may be underrepresented – or not represented at all – on displays and educational materials such as pamphlets.

Robert Acevedo, a U.S. Army Veteran and licensed practical nurse in the dermatology medical specialty department at the Charlotte Health Care Center (HCC), Salisbury VA Health Care System, recently noticed this disparity while interacting with a Veteran.

After giving the Veteran an educational pamphlet to show an example of their diagnosed skin condition, Acevedo noticed that the Veteran observed none of the informational images accurately represented their skin tone.

This interaction inspired Acevedo to create more inclusive patient education material that better reflects all Veterans that the Veterans Health Administration has the honor of serving.

He quickly got started by partnering with his colleagues Dr. Melissa Coale and Katie Belchere, R.N., who also noticed the disparities, to help tackle the project.

"I want to bring hospitality to the hospital," said Acevedo. "I want to make Veterans feel special when they come here."

The trio worked for three months on updating over forty different educational pamphlets, including material on Keloids, Stasis Dermatitis, and Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation.

They worked on updating the images to include numerous skin tones and types as well as the written information on the pamphlets to be more inclusive.

“This really serves all the people who come through our doors, because we have such a diverse population that we serve,” said Dr. Coale. “We need our educational materials to reflect that.”

Acevedo, Dr. Coale, and Nurse Belchere’s goal is to ensure a wider range of skin tones and types are properly represented in patient education materials and beyond.

Acevedo says that he’s received positive feedback and appreciation from Veterans for the updated and more inclusive handouts.

“I’m a Veteran myself, so I really love working with Veterans because I can do what I always wanted to do which is serve,” said Acevedo.

The new pamphlets will eventually be distributed to dermatology clinics throughout Veterans Integrated Services Network (VISN) 6.

For more information on the updated pamphlets at Salisbury VA, email the Office of Strategic Communications & Public Affairs at salisburyvapublicaffairs@va.gov.

At Salisbury VA Health Care System, our mission is to fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those who have served in our nation’s military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors. Learn more at https://www.va.gov/salisbury-health-care/.