In honor of Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month, it’s crucial to acknowledge the rise in “deaths of despair,” deaths caused by suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol-related illnesses. These deaths reflect a growing public health concern, particularly when communities face barriers to healthcare and other forms of support. For the Latinx community, discrimination and unequal access to healthcare can make these challenges even more difficult to address.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one in three people identifying with the Latinx community in the U.S. reported being “personally discriminated against because of their ethnicity.” This includes discrimination when renting or buying a house, receiving equal pay, applying for jobs, and interacting with the U.S. healthcare system. The CDC has also identified discrimination and racism as constant sources of stress. Repeated exposure to discrimination can keep stress hormones elevated, affecting people’s health over time. These findings show that healthcare access alone cannot address health inequities; discrimination contributing to them must also be confronted.
Despite these challenges, Latinx workers make up 27 percent of home health aides and 22 percent of personal care aides, according to the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSN). However, members of the Latinx community frequently leave or consider leaving their jobs due to workplace discrimination, microaggressions, and systemic barriers, according to the Williams Institute. This creates a larger problem: workers who help care for others are often left without adequate support themselves. Addressing workplace discrimination is therefore important not only for Latinx workers, but also for the people who depend on these essential services.
These existing inequities make recent healthcare policy changes especially concerning. Between 2015 and 2024, overdose mortality among Latinx people increased by 115 percent, according to JHSN. Federal budget cuts to Medi-Cal could make healthcare access even more difficult for many Latinx Californians. According to the California Budget & Policy Center, these cuts could potentially leave over one million Latinx Californians without healthcare.
For a community already facing discrimination, further restricting access to care risks deepening existing inequities. Awareness of these issues is a starting point. However, to support the Latinx community, Berkeley High School students can learn more about these issues and get involved locally. Students can also advocate for equitable healthcare access and support local organizations working with Latinx communities. Both in the Bay Area and across California, non-profit organizations work to help Latinx communities advocate for medical care, such as the Latino Coalition for a Healthy America.
Reducing deaths of despair within the Latinx community requires addressing both healthcare barriers and the discrimination that contributes to them. Without meaningful action, existing inequities risk continuing to affect the health and well-being of the Latinx community.