BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — April is National Minority Health Month, and the Brazos County Health Department wants residents to know everyone is welcome, regardless of their primary language.
In fact, eight in 10 Hispanics who are native Spanish speakers prefer a health care provider that speaks their language. Additionally, the BCHD sees over 800 people a month, and at least 80% of those patients speak Spanish.
Texas Community Health worker, Sonia Rios explained what they see on a daily basis.
"Of that 80% I would say around 50% come in speaking the Spanish, hoping and staring at us, hoping that we do speak it and everyone up front does speak Spanish," Rios said.
The ability to meet client's needs cannot be understated in a diverse community like the Brazos Valley.
BCHD registered nurse, Andrea Farrar described her experience in speaking Spanish to clients.
"Being able to communicate with people and bridging that communication gap, it develops a sense of trust you know we deal with a lot of immigrants and refugees here and a lot of times they come in here they’re scared and unsure they’re not in their home country anymore let alone their own town and you can almost see a weight being lifted off their shoulders once you start talking to them in their native language," said Farrar.
With access to health care already difficult for many, the BCHD wants residents to make the most of the resources available to them.
"It's very important because they need to be educated on the services they're coming in for," said Rios. "They need to be explained in their language what services we offer here and how we can help them further.”