North Bay needs more bilingual doctors

When, at the behest of my Mexican mother, I walk into Lola’s Market and reach for tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, or whatever else her next trip to the kitchen needs, I often find myself looking over the mounds of fruits and vegetables and meeting the gaze of someone who looks like me. There is also a strong possibility that our life experiences and memories may also look similar, although not always.

However, when I show up for a doctor’s appointment and look up to meet my doctor’s gaze, I have never had an experience like Lola’s. All of my doctors were extremely caring, knowledgeable, and considerate, but none of them ever made me feel like I was looking in a mirror. I haven’t seen myself reflected in my GP yet and I know I’m not alone. This is not surprising considering that 39% of California residents are Latino, but this only applies to 6% of California physicians.

As the CEO of Petaluma Health Center – a not-for-profit health clinic serving over 40,000 patients in Sonoma and West Marin Counties – I know very well that I am incredibly fortunate every time I am able to access everyone medical care. Across California, access to preventive-focused primary care continues to decline as medical groups lose physicians or struggle to recruit due to high costs of living and burnout, especially following the wildfires and public health emergencies that have occurred over the past year. last few years. I have heard from many people moving to Sonoma County and from long-time residents whose doctors are retiring that the wait time to find a new primary care physician has increased dramatically and alarmingly.

I can’t sleep at night because I worry that wait times will increase from dramatically and alarmingly to dangerously longer if we do nothing to increase the number of primary care physicians. In summary, the painful reality is that for low-income Spanish-speaking patients, the barriers can be many times more severe.

The Latino community – the fastest-growing demographic group in California and the Bay Area – faces barriers to accessing health care due to a shortage of doctors fluent in Spanish.

As we advocate for educating more Spanish-speaking physicians to serve the needs of the Latino community, recent events such as Governor Gavin Newsom’s signing of Assembly Bill 2860 represent a huge step toward progress, equity and better primary care access for all more than 40,000 patients we serve.

AB 2860 will enable up to 250 bilingual, licensed Mexican physicians to work in some of California’s most underserved communities. Fourteen bilingual licensed physicians from Mexico will be eligible to join Petaluma Health Center. This will meaningfully and sustainably enable Spanish-speaking patients to access care with the linguistic and cultural competencies needed to reduce health disparities and enable us to better meet the needs of all our patients.

Providing culturally sensitive and linguistically competent care isn’t just nice – it’s critical. Language skills have been identified as a key factor in improving patient outcomes. Research shows that consistent language between doctors and patients improves compliance with treatment plans and medication adherence.

To significantly increase the number of Latino physicians in the U.S., we need medical school admissions practices that prioritize linguistic and cultural competencies to train and support a medical workforce that better reflects and serves the diverse communities it cares for.

The shortage of primary care physicians has been a long-standing problem. And the shortage of Spanish-speaking primary care doctors is many times greater. The percentage of Black and Latino physicians in the healthcare workforce remains disproportionately low. We must continue to invest in career pathway programs for all students, especially Spanish-speaking students. It starts in high schools and community colleges. By exposing ourselves to medicine early and promoting holistic medical school admissions, we can begin to close this gap.

In light of these challenges, Newsom’s decision to allow 14 bilingual licensed physicians from Mexico to practice at Petaluma Health Center is an incredible and positive step toward meeting the health care needs of Spanish-speaking communities.

There is already solid data from medically underserved communities in California that have benefited from the Mexican Licensed Doctors and Dentists Pilot Program, which measurably demonstrates the positive difference it has made in health care access and patient outcomes. While this may not be a silver bullet solution to the physician shortage, it is a proactive measure to provide culturally competent care to patients requiring services in a specific language.

On behalf of our more than 40,000 patients, and especially our 20,000 Spanish-speaking patients, I want to thank the Governor for his support of this crucial piece of legislation. By signing the bill, Newsom helped bring the promise of health care access and equity one step closer to reality for Petaluma Health Center patients and tens of thousands of Californians across the state. I am overjoyed and grateful that it may no longer be a distant dream to see and hear my reflection in my doctor the next time the door opens during a medical visit.

Pedro Toledo is the CEO of Petaluma Health Center. Lives in Petaluma.

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