In 2019, the Hispanic/Latino category accounted for nearly 40% of the Texas population, while only 15% of nurse practitioners and 10% of primary care physicians were Hispanic or Latino.
Among the effects of a need for diversity are language barriers in health care, which can lead to miscommunication and a decreased quality of health care and patient safety, according to local experts.
A closer look
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Spanish was the most common language spoken at home for 20% of people in Travis County in 2023.
Dr. MiLinda Zabramba, associate chief medical officer for Central Health, Travis County’s hospital district, said a large portion of the staff at their primary care CommUnityCare Health Centers, including front desk receptionists, nurses and medical assistants, speak Spanish.
She said the key is providing patient care through “multiple modalities of communication.”
“Even if you're speaking the same language and the patient doesn't understand how to take their medicine, I think that does a disservice to the patient, and there are risks of errors or patients getting sick if they aren't able to follow the recommendations,” Zabramba said. “So even outside of language barriers, just making sure that patients understand is crucial.”
Between 2021 and 2023, Central Health saw an increase in Latino enrollees and enrollees whose preferred language is Spanish for its Medical Access Program, or MAP.
Ivan Davila, Central Health vice president of communications and marketing, said they have certified Spanish interpreters on whom they lean heavily in their specialty clinics, and they are recruiting more.
“Most importantly, a patient has to feel comfortable, because now you have an outside person in the room,” Zabramda said. “So our translators do a great job of just making them comfortable and recognizing that this is a medical appointment and it's a safe space, and these things don't get shared outside the room.”
Central Health also utilizes LanguageLine, which can connect users with an interpreter through voice or video, and creates plain-language materials that can be easily translated to hand out to patients.
They said physicians at their clinics have also expressed interest in becoming more proficient in Spanish. Zabramba said language courses at local colleges are covered by Central Health as part of ongoing medical education.
Looking ahead
According to Texas DSHS, patients of racial and ethnic minorities have been shown to prefer health care providers of the same race and ethnicity. As demand for physicians and the Hispanic population grows in Texas, so does demand for a diverse workforce.
“We just need to ensure that we're building out robust systems and have translators and education materials in place to accommodate that, and then also just ensuring that people who do want to learn and want to be bilingual have avenues to do that,” Zabramba said.
