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5B Minority medicine has
barriers By Emily Phelps Removing
language barriers: Nurse Macia
Whitemore, left, has her comments translated into
Spanish by Beth Shetter, right, while they talk to
Yessenia Urbina-Hercules and her son Marlyn. A
study released Wednesday found that minorities face
more difficulties getting good health care due to
cultural and language barriers.
Her son, Marlyn Hercules, was delivered by a Spanish-speaking doctor seven months ago so there was no language barrier then. In March, her son was admitted to Chambersburg Hospital for a few days. At that time, Urbina-Hercules relied on the services of Beth Shetter, a receptionist at the hospital who also translates for patients at both the hospital and Keystone Women's Care. Translators and bilingual doctors are just two of the different ways Keystone Health Center and Chambersburg Hospital are trying to accommodate patients of different cultures and ethnic origins. A study released Wednesday by the Commonwealth Fund found that communication breakdowns are a major factor in the disparity between the quality of medical treatment between whites and minorities. Hispanics in particularly were more than twice as likely than whites to report communication problems with their doctors, the study found. At Keystone Health Center, there are doctors and nurses who speak Spanish because approximately 15% of the people who visit Keystone need some sort of translation services, or must see a Spanish-speaking doctor, said Joanne Cochran, president and chief executive office of Keystone. Keystone's main site on Norland Avenue has four providers who speak different languages. Until a few months ago, there was a dentist who spoke both English and Spanish at Keystone Dental Center. Keystone Women's Care has one provider who speaks Spanish, and another who is studying Spanish, Cochran said. Keystone also relies on the help of translators, some of whom accompany patients to specialists within the community. "Anytime there's a translation, something gets lost," said translator Diane Martes, executive director of the Chambersburg Hispanic American Center. But Martes believes Keystone is doing a great job in trying to accommodate those whose first language is not English. Despite their efforts, it is not always easy for a person to explain exactly what kind of medical problem he or she is having, Cochran said. That problem can be exacerbated if there is a language barrier. Spanish is not the only language besides English spoken at Keystone, Cochran said. People who speak Russian, Chinese and Hungarian have sought treatment there. One doctor, Laszlo Madaras, speaks seven languages, Cochran said. He uses nearly every language weekly in his work. Summit Health is also working to communicate with people of all languages. Nearly two years ago, Summit Health formed a culture diversity task force, said Sue Dooley, director of social services. Dr. Bill Morgan, a retired Shippensburg University Spanish professor, translated several hospital documents and brochures into Spanish, including pamphlets on breast feeding and diabetes education, Dooley said. Information is
key: Yessenia Urbina-Hercules, and her
son, Marlyn, benefit from programs designed to open
communications between local hospitals and
non-English speaking patients.
Talking pictures are cards with a picture of, for example, a bed on one side and words in five different languages on the other. Bob Rynecki, a nurse at the hospital, also helped develop RABIT, or the Rynecki-Arthur Bilingual Interview Tool. RABIT translates specific yes and no questions into Spanish, Dooley said. For translation emergencies, the hospital has a list of volunteer interpreters who speak a variety of languages it calls on. All of the translators at Keystone are on staff. The health center could use some volunteers, Cochran said. The hospital also has subscription to an interpreting service. If there's a medical emergency, nurses or doctors can call a number and tell the service what language needs to be interpreted, Dooley said. The doctor then picks up one phone, and the person needing interpreting picks up another phone. A certified medical interpreter helps the two talk, Dooley said. Martes also serves on the hospital's committee to address diversity issues. "They are trying," Martes said. "The hospital is trying." The improvements in the area medical facilities have prompted more people in the Hispanic community to seek medical help, Martes said. Urbina-Hercules agrees. "People do come more often now because they do know there are people who speak Spanish at the hospital and at Keystone," Urbina-Hercules said. "The most important thing is that people treat you very well."
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