In response to North Carolina's increasing Hispanic population, the University has launched a course to teach Spanish language skills to health-care professionals.
The initiative, called "A su salud! Spanish for Health Professionals," was announced at a Wednesday conference at the N.C. Women's Hospital attended by students in and instructors of the class.
"A su salud!," which is Spanish for "to your health," incorporates a variety of teaching tools, including text and web resources, and multi-media exercises such as videos, to improve communication between health care providers and Spanish speakers.
"There are a lot of components to this course," said Wing Chan, a graduate student taking the class.
The program is a multidisciplinary effort to unite students from all areas of the health field in the common drive to better communication, he said.
The course is specifically aimed to help eliminate language barriers between Hispanics and health care professionals.
Dr. Julia Mack, a member of the program's author team and a Spanish lecturer in the department of Romance Languages, showed a sample video of one of the web based assignments used in the program at Wednesday's launch.
The interactive presentation was set up as a television drama in which a student would react to a scene between a doctor and a Spanish speaking patient.
According to the N.C. Latino Health Care Task Force, the Hispanic population is growing more rapidly in North Carolina than in any other state, and the percentage of uninsured people is highest among Latinos compared to other ethnic and racial groups.
Dr. Wes Wallace, an emergency physician who assisted with the interactive exercise, said about 15 percent of patients who come to UNC Hospitals do not speak English. He said it is helpful if health care professionals understand Spanish.
The course serves as an intermediate language opportunity for health care providers, said Elizabeth Bruno, a Salud instructor and employee in the department of Romance Languages.
Bruno said health care providers are realizing the importance of knowing different languages.
Hector Perez, executive director of El Centro Latino, a Latino nonprofit group in Carrboro, said when two people speak different languages and there is an urgent medical issue, there is a definite need for a go-between.
Perez said there is a definite need in the community for hospitals to staff more bilingual workers, adding that the University class is a great step in that direction. "When language is an issue, it is wonderful that there is a program to alleviate that barrier," Perez said.
Wallace said University resources make it easier to learn foreign languages, but there is still need in more rural areas for similar initiatives.
The idea for the program began about five years ago with an interdisciplinary group of University faculty and staff, said Claire Lorch, project director for the interdisciplinary development committee for the program.
A team of faculty and staff members then visited public health facilities in surrounding counties. The consensus was that there was a growing need for health care professionals who were trained in Spanish, Lorch said.
The U.S. Department of Education issued $470,000 to the program through its Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.
The program is available in all five health science schools at UNC, as well as the school of Social Work. "A Su Salud!" is also available nationwide as a distance learning course and is offered at other U.S. colleges.
Training for faculty in the N.C. Community College system will take place at Durham Technical Community College at the end of October.
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
