30 Something Baby Doc

Imagine being a stranger in a strange land. You're ill and go to a clinic where the health care professionals don't speak your language and you don't speak theirs. It happens every day here at our hospital and across the nation. The Hispanic population in our state alone has grown over 110% in the last decade. The population of Hispanics in our city has tripled in the same decade. In our hospital the shear numbers of Latino patients is overwhelming its capacity to provide bilingual services. Interpreters are truly underpaid and over extended. Telephone translation services are cumbersome and inefficient. Very few physicians and nurses are bilingual. Other healthcare professionals are rapidly becoming frustrated, believing that our Latino patients have the sole responsibility of learning English if they want to live and prosper in this country. I feel the responsibility lies with the providers.

My 4 years of high school Spanish Sucks!!!!!!! It helps me to create more problems than I solve. I currently researching Spanish classes for health care professionals at the local university. My goal is to becomes adequately proficient by the summer. Hold me to it guys. Adios