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Rutgers Addresses Health Disparities

Health Care January 2019
Rutgers U. is making educating competent Spanish-speaking health professionals in Camden a priority. In a round table discussion eight students spoke about health disparities.

Rutgers Addresses Health Disparities

University Prioritizes Educating Spanish-Speaking Health Professionals

Rutgers University is making educating competent Spanish-speaking health professionals in Camden a priority. In a round table discussion eight Spanish-speaking students spoke about health disparities in the United States and specific issues in Camden. They highlighted topics like how there are misunderstandings among people who speak the same language. This is one of the many reasons Rutgers encourages future practitioners to interact with the Hispanic community. At Rutgers, their main objective is to enable nursing, biology and medical students to develop both language and cultural competencies to avoid such disparities.

“It’s about promoting health and wellness, and avoid leaving people behind because they can’t communicate in the English language,” said Dana Pilla, the class' instructor and program co-director.

Camden has about 30,000 Spanish speakers, yet only 4.8 percent graduates of New Jersey medical schools identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Although clinics and hospitals can use interpreters over the phone or in person, Camden needs all types of Spanish-speaking professionals in the health industry, from case managers and front desk personnel to nurses and doctors, as patients have a “different connection” with providers that speak their language, said Lisa Mojica, a bilingual patient navigator with the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers.

“We need more Spanish-speaking, native-speaking physicians, because some patients need to feel comfortable, and find that sense of trust in providers that speak Spanish,” she said.

The program at Rutgers features classes like Spanish for health professionals, civic engagement and community interpretation. Students are required to speak Spanish in class and practice the language in health-related situations while learning about medical practices in Latin America and the Caribbean and visiting community-based organizations and health clinics in Camden.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/news/rutgers-spanish-health-professionals-camden-language-barrier-20181206.html#loaded

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