Supporting Our Hispanic Patients and Community

Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15 – Oct. 15, 2022. Since 1988, Americans have observed these four weeks to celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

According to Pew Research Center 2020 findings, there are about 62.1 million Americans who identify as Hispanic, making up 19% of the total U.S. population—and they are also our patients, community members and employees.

While Hispanic Heritage may be formally observed for a month, we are an organization committed to fostering an environment where everyone feels welcomed and valued, and we have many practices in place to support our Hispanic community all year.

Here’s a look at how we’re working to reach our Hispanic patients, employees and community.

• Carilion Direct began partnering with LanguageLine Solutions to provide interpretation for Spanish-speaking patients during calls to the customer support center in 2020. Before the LanguageLIne, patients had to wait for an interpreter to join or could be transferred multiple times because of the language barrier. The line has since expanded to other languages. This previous article has more information.
   
• Many parents at the LIFT Center at Fallon Park Elementary School in Roanoke don’t speak English, and most speak Spanish. To help parents better understand and be more involved in their children's education, Community Health and Outreach contracts an English Language Learning (ELL) teacher who offers free English learning classes for parents and guardians at the school twice a week during the school day. Any family with students at Fallon Park are welcome to join the classes. Evening classes that include child care are also being piloted.
   
• Carilion Children's at Tanglewood has an in-house translator to help communicate with patients' parents to make sure they understand their child's diagnosis and next steps. Interpreter Services are available to provide safe and clear communication in other areas of our organization, too. The Interpreter Services hub has more information here. 
   
• Communication has been a powerful tool in helping slow the spread of COVID-19. During the pandemic, and now, we share important messages about the virus in Spanish to reach Spanish-speaking populations in our service areas. Some examples include:
  • "Seeing You Safely" web page, which communicates about safe practices at our facilities
  • “What to Expect at Your Visit” office visit guides
  • Billboards and social media posts
  • Videos featuring Mariana Gomez, M.D., of our Infectious Diseases team, who is fluent in Spanish
  • This previous article has more information.

• Some of our flu ads will be translated in Spanish and a video in Spanish with Dr. Gomez sharing facts about the flu is also planned for our social media channels.

• Our Laundry adjusts many services to serve our Spanish-speaking (and other language) employees. Some examples include:

  • Annual inservices and an annual safety training specific to the Laundry are completed in a live classroom with interpreters. Some of the materials have also been translated into Spanish and other languages most commonly spoken by Laundry employees.
  • During the first year of the pandemic, the Laundry continued fully operating as an essential department and developed special COVID-19 safety training.
  • During the pandemic and normally, English classes are offered in the Laundry Training Room daily.