Hispanics, who comprise about 40 percent of the state’s population, account for only 8 percent of licensed physicians in Texas and about 6 percent of registered nurses, according to licensing board data.
Dr. Kimberly A. Pilkinton, OB-GYN at UH Health Family Care Center, takes a translation device to see patient Alba Jiménez, a Spanish speaker, for a medical appointment Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Houston. Texas is among the states hit hardest by the nationwide nursing shortage, compounding the struggle for Spanish-speaking Houstonians to communicate their needs with health care providers.Alba Jiménez wishes she could avoid what she calls “the robot.
Hispanics, who comprise about 40 percent of the state’s population, account for only 8 percent of licensed physicians in Texas and about 6 percent of registered nurses, according to state licensing board data. There are no exact figures on how many of those providers speak Spanish. One study publishedidentified 222 counties nationwide, concentrated mostly in Texas and New Mexico, that lacked a Spanish-speaking family physician, despite at least 20 percent of those populations speaking Spanish.
Carmelita Ramirez, certified medical assistant at UH Health Family Care Center, tells patient Alba Jiménez how to change outfit before a doctor sees Jiménez Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Houston. Texas is among the states hit hardest by the nationwide nursing shortage, compounding the struggle for Spanish-speaking Houstonians to communicate their needs with health care providers. Both Ramirez and Jiménez speak Spanish.
that “language concordance,” in which the doctor and patient speak the same language, is significantly associated with a lower likelihood of confusion, frustration and language-related poor quality ratings, and positively associated with patient satisfaction.assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion at
San José Clinic, a safety-net provider that relies on volunteers, last year tallied about 2,300 more doctor visits at its Midtown location compared to 2020, according to data from the clinic. Its second location in Rosenberg, which opened in August 2020, saw annual doctor visits nearly double over the last two years, from 1,298 in 2021, to 2,472 last year.A young dad clings to his only hope after a destructive COVID infection. It comes with a heavy price.
The clinic is looking for dedicated medical translators to address the problem. Online translation services are too expensive, Ebeid said, costing anywhere between $5,000 and $10,000 a month. “It’s a different set of skills to truly be able to speak enough Spanish to the patients so you can take care of them in Spanish,” Rogers said.Despite the ongoing challenge in clinics and hospitals, medical schools offer signs of hope.
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