Barriers is a mixed media piece that captures the difficulties that previously incarcerated individuals face with respect to navigating the healthcare system. It displays an arm reaching for a prescription bottle, blocked by the navigational complexities and chronic stressors associated with incarceration.
Through the Duke HealthCARES program (a student organization that pairs students with formerly-incarcerated individuals to help with various health care needs), Julianna was able to connect with a formerly-incarcerated patient. She learned about the difficulties he faced in terms of healthcare access, distrust, and discontinuity. After listening to his experience with obtaining needed medications, and the associated delays, insurance issues, and unreturned calls, I became aware of the emphasis on a “figure it out for yourself” mentality that is inflicted upon these individuals after incarceration. Through these conversations, it occurred to me that enhanced care coordination transitions are essential in ensuring that these individuals are placed in a position that allows them to thrive after their release.
About the Artist: Julianna Lazzari
Julianna Lazzari’s passion for art began during her childhood, where she found it as a way to interpret the knowledge she had gained about the world around her. It started as an acrylic demo of “how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly” during kindergarten and has since transformed into exploring different art mediums — plaster, watercolor, oil, collage. The freedom to choose the mode of expression and use it as an outlet from medical school has made art both a therapeutic and energizing experience for her. Julianna hopes to continue to use art as a way to not only interpret what she has learned, but also self-reflect on her medical journey.
