National Hispanic Heritage Month

Years ago, as I sat beside my son's hospital bed, I witnessed a surgeon come to speak to the young mom with a child in the bed next to us about her child's complex kidney surgery the next day. As the surgeon shared details, risks, and desired outcomes of the procedure, the young Mom nodded her head in agreement with wide-eyed fear. Then she signed the consent for surgery - itself one of the most stressful acts of parenthood. The surgeon's discussion took place entirely in English. The consent form was only in English. Mom was monolingual Spanish. When the surgeon left, Mom broke down in sobs. As I tried to console her, I realized that the comfort I offered transcended words, but the explanation the surgeon gave did not.

That was the moment I realized the unique needs of the Hispanic population in the health system. Learning a new language under the duress of a hospitalization or healthcare must be terrifying. And language is only the start to providing culturally responsive care.

In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 - Oct 15), PFCCpartners will host a special focus session to celebrate our community members of Hispanic Heritage on our Coffee Chat (see information below). During this session, we invite all members of the PFAnetwork who identify as Hispanic to join this session and help us further understand the unique needs of the Hispanic population as they experience the healthcare system. As a network of people using our lived experience to improve our health system, I realize we need to do more to elevate the voices of Hispanic members. I hope that you will all join us to learn together!

Libby Hoy
PFCCpartners, Founder and CEO