Medical facilities are required by federal law to provide free interpreter services by qualified professionals, but most patients prefer having a Spanish-speaking provider who fully comprehends the nuances. Latino Behavioral Health Services, a nonprofit offering mental health services in Spanish and English, reported upwards of a 300% increase in demand since the pandemic. The nonprofit said the need has always been there but that the community is becoming more educated about how and when to seek help.
Alliance Community Services has been at the forefront of connecting the Hispanic community with health and social resources since its founding in 2002. The nonprofit has a number of partnerships across the state, such as the Ventanilla de Salud program with the Mexican Consulate, which offers free or low-cost health screenings, Medicaid enrollment help and other services in Spanish for anyone in the community who is uninsured or underinsured. Lack of health insurance is one of the biggest issues. In fact, 22% of Hispanic Utahns are uninsured compared to only 6% of white Utahns, according to KFF, formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation.
An innovative subscription-based model from the recently launched Vamos! Health could help serve some of that uninsured population along the Wasatch Front. The clinic offers memberships from $60 a month for care from a team of bilingual and culturally fluent providers.
For many providers, fulfilling the Hispanic population’s health care needs goes far beyond simply hiring more Spanish-speaking staff. But training a new generation of health care providers is a yearslong endeavor. In the meantime, Utah has recognized community health workers can fill some of those gaps and create bridges between the health care system and the communities it has historically left behind.
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