What is considered healthy?
Corey Dion Lewis helps patients who come to see him find answers to this question.
As a clinical health coach at Broadlawns Medical Center, he understands that the answers vary from person to person and may look different because of cultural backgrounds.
He emphasizes that it's not his job to tell patients if they are right or wrong but to guide them and help them figure out what being healthy looks like.
Lewis has been a clinical health coach for six years and says he has learned a lot from the people he serves.
"I have to be able to meet people where they are. I serve many people who might not have resources and I serve communities of color who are dealing with chronic diseases and life stressors."
According to the National Institute for Health, "Racial/ethnic minorities are 1.5 to 2.0 times more likely than whites to have most of the major chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are also more common in the poor than the nonpoor, and this association is frequently mediated by race/ethnicity."
The Illinois native saw how chronic diseases impacted his own family.
"Growing up, chronic disease was just normal. It was normal for me to see my grandmother take insulin. She was taking care of her sugar. And seeing family members and people around me die from preventable chronic diseases was normal."
As he grew older, he knew he wanted to make healthier choices.
"I got older and realized that what I saw wasn't normal. I started to change how I ate. Instead of frying meat, I would bake it, and I added more vegetables and fruit to my diet."
By then, Lewis was a college student at the University of Iowa. He found out about health coaching from his college professor.
"I was an athlete, and going to the gym was something that I already did. I was already in that health space, so when he brought up health coaching, it was talking about health, helping people to improve, and counseling. Wanting to help people and be in a helping profession just fit me so well."
Lewis hasn't looked back since. His passion for health coaching and health equity is crucial to his work. He recognizes that health equity is about eliminating racial and economic disparities and works to bring attention to the issue.
The Healthy Project Podcast was born from his desire to highlight and discuss health equity and race.
He says, "I remembered personal experiences from my mom and how she was treated in the healthcare system. I heard stories from other Black women about their healthcare experience. And then there is the experience of working with patients at Broadlawns and helping them."
The Healthy Project podcast ranks in the top 200 in the US medicine category, and Lewis shares that he is consistent with creating content.
Last November, he produced a conference called My City My Health. According to its website, My City My Health aims" to spark meaningful conversations and actions to improve health outcomes in cities across the country. Our mission is to bridge the gap between public health professionals, healthcare providers, community-based organizations, nonprofits, and individuals passionate about health equity."
Lewis is collaborating with the University of Iowa to bring My City My Health to Iowa City on April 28th. The daylong conference will feature diverse speakers and workshops to educate and inspire action to improve health outcomes.
To learn more about the Healthy Project, visit https://thehealthyproject.co/ Â or contact Corey Dion Lewis at corey@thehealthyproject.co.
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