Contributions and Challenges of The Latinx Community in Kalamazoo

Despite obstacles in accessing healthcare, here are the doctors providing care for the Latinx community

By Juan Carlos Ibarra

This story is part of the New/Nueva Opinion’s series Contributions and Challenges of Latinx Community in Kalamazoo series. The Kalamazoo Community Foundation founds this series.

Kalamazoo, MI – The Latinx community in the United States face an overwhelming amount of obstacles when trying to make doctor’s appointments or pay for expensive medical bills. One of the biggest barriers to receiving proper care is language. Language can affect access to healthcare from the moment a Spanish speaker peaks up the phone to schedule an appointment. From there, the patient must communicate their symptoms, fill out health screenings, talk to receptionists and nurses, sign paperwork, and figure out payment. Every step of the process presents a new hurdle, which can discourage our community members from getting the care they need.

Dra. Karen Garcia is a board-certified pediatrician who is currently working through the Bronson Health System as a newborn hospitalist. She is also a certified lactation consultant and has been working within the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek communities since 2008. Dra. Garcia works with many first and second-generation Hispanic families, mothers, and patients. As a result of working closely with community members that are in need, Dra. Garcia recognizes the obstacles surrounding healthcare that need to be addressed for her Hispanic patients: “The biggest obstacle is the language barrier. There is a baseline of about 30% understanding for most people when they come into the hospital to understand medical dialect. It’s almost a different language in and of itself. When you add another language on top of that, the understanding of what is actually happening tends to drop exponentially.” Safety and direct health outcomes are only some of the negative effects presented by this language barrier. For the Hispanic community, not having interpreter service can have dangerous consequences. The United States National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health asked doctors about their experience with English-learning patients. 37% of physicians surveyed reported they believed patients were withholding critical information due to the presences of a language barrier. Dra. Garcia mentions the importance of cultural and linguistic understanding when working with certain patients who do not understand: “I’ve had instances where I’ve walked in and had a family member say, ‘Thank God you’re here. I had no idea what was happening before you walked in.’”.

Dra. Karen Garcia is a board-certified pediatrician who is currently working through the Bronson Health System as a newborn hospitalist.

Photo: Jesús Grillo - New/Nueva Opinión

Even for those who are fluent in English, medical language is incredibly difficult to understand, yet many Hispanic patients are left without interpreters or access to proper translation when receiving care. Having access to Spanish-speaking professionals, such as Dra. Garcia, can remove stress and misunderstanding from not only patients, but also from family and surrounding community members. According to the United States National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, patients with limited English proficiency reported not only difficulties scheduling appointments, but also increased amounts of missed medical appointments. Additionally, non-English speakers who chose to utilize interpreter services ended up receiving more medical office visits and impatient medical services. Dra. Garcia motivates her patients to utilize interpreter services in order to eliminate the disparities in care that affect the Latinx community: “I personally try to empower my Hispanic families to say, ‘absolutely not.’ Do not just nod your head. Ask for interpreters. Make sure you have the interpreters because you deserve the same kind of care and same understanding of the care that both you and your family are receiving as much as every other person that walks in this hospital.”

Dra. Silvia Linares is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist (OB/GYN) who has been working in the Kalamazoo community for the past 6 years.

Photo: Jesús Grillo - New/Nueva Opinión

The language barrier is not only crucial for the frequency and availability of healthcare, but also for the quality of that care. In addition to a lack of language materials and interpreters, there is a lack of Spanish-speaking healthcare professionals who can communicate across cultural barriers in order to provide quality care. Physical therapists, physician assistants, registered nurses, surgeons, and many other roles do not provide adequate care when cultural competence is not reached. Why is cultural competence important, and how can utilizing Hispanic healthcare workers positively impact the health of the Latinx population in Kalamazoo? According to the American Hospital Organization, cultural competence provides the ability to communicate across cultural and linguistic barriers while effectively addressing medical needs that are culturally unique. Cultural competence is an essential practice that reduces the number of missed hospital visits, decreases financial costs as a result of medical mistakes, and increases levels of preventative care for Hispanic patients.

Dra. Silvia Linares is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist (OB/GYN) who has been working in the Kalamazoo community for the past 6 years. As a Latinx healthcare professional, Dra. Linares understands the importance of cultural competence: “When you have a physician from the same culture, you already get past the cultural sensitivity.” Professionals such as Dra. Linares can help eliminate the cultural gaps that lead to medical problems and financial issues for the Latinx population in Kalamazoo. Dra. Linares also mentions the importance of promoting and utilizing the Hispanic healthcare workers that exist within the area: “The community does not know about the number of physicians that are here that speak Spanish. Yes, we are here. Yes, we want to serve them.” Dra. Linares advocates for access to care and works closely with the Western Michigan University School of Medicine as an assistant professor. Dra. Linares has worked with the Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine to provide electronic medical records in Spanish for its patients. Local medical facilities, such as Family Health Center, also provide these records in Spanish, as they recognize the need within the community.

Overall, Hispanic professionals in Kalamazoo recommend raising awareness and community knowledge about Spanish electronic records, interpreter services, and Spanish-speaking healthcare workers. Dra. Garcia recommends: “One of the potential things we could do is have a running list. Who are our Latinx providers? If you take away the cultural and language barriers, studies have shown that the level of care is much higher.” Although many people may not be aware, there are many professionals such as Dra. Garcia and Dra. Linares working to close cultural and linguistic gaps, improving the level of care provided for the Latinx community int eh Kalamazoo area. Dra. Garcia recommends: “My biggest advice would be if you’re not understanding, keep asking for clarification. Even if you know English well enough to be able to converse, make sure that you understand before you leave. You deserve that and you deserve to have good healthcare because you understand what they’re saying, and they understand the information that you’re giving them.” Cultural understanding works both ways – patients understand their health needs and resources, and healthcare workers learn how to best provide and deliver quality care that is effective. Dra. Garcia mentions the significance of being a Latinx doctor working with a Hispanic community in need: “The reflection back of your culture and their understanding… it’s very special. The patients feel it, but I definitely feel it too. I absolutely love it.”