Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Health Care
  •  

Spanish-Speaking Doctors Hope To Build Trust At New Downtown Sacramento Medical Center

  •  Sammy Caiola 
Monday, July 16, 2018 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Sammy Caiola / Capital Public Radio

Dr. Roberto Solis talks to patient Enrique Ahumada at Kaiser Permanente’s new bilingual clinic downtown. A new report says more Spanish-speaking doctors will be needed to meet the needs of California's increasingly diverse patient population.

Sammy Caiola / Capital Public Radio

From the front desk to the exam rooms, Spanish is spoken everywhere inside Kaiser Permanente’s new Salud en Español clinic in downtown Sacramento.

The nine bilingual providers who work in the clinic hope to build trust with Spanish-speaking patients, who often struggle to access medical care because of language barriers.

“The people that come here, they’re so happy, because finally they're able to communicate with someone who speaks their language,” said Dr. Eduardo Bermudez, an internal medicine physician with Kaiser.

Bermudez is medical services director for the new Downtown Commons offices near the Golden 1 Center. It’s a six-story building staffed by about 50 doctors, and the latest addition to Sacramento’s booming health care industry.

The new Salud en Español is one of 17 bilingual clinics in the Kaiser system. UC Davis also offers a student-run primary care clinic for Latino patients on Saturdays.

Other hospitals offer a free interpreting service, but Bermudez said using a third party for treatment can be tricky. The patient may be too embarrassed to share their medical information with a translator or a family member. Or a family member may not translate all of the doctor’s instructions.

“Sometimes patients do not divulge all the information,” Bermudez said. “You lose that trust, and sometimes the patients say well, I don’t wanna do what the doctor’s telling me, and that’s not good health care.”

About 38 percent of Californians are Latino, but only 5 percent of the state’s doctors. Bermudez said that gap makes this population less likely to access care, even though they’re at high risk for diseases like diabetes and hypertension.


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Stories

  • Sammy Caiola / Capital Public Radio

    California Medical Provider Shortfall Is A Looming Crisis. This Commission Has a Plan

    Wednesday, February 6, 2019
    A commission studying the medical workforce is out with a new report offering solutions for how to prevent a provider shortfall.

 healthcare

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

Sammy Caiola

Former Healthcare Reporter

Sammy Caiola has been covering medical breakthroughs, fitness fads and health policy in California since 2014. Before joining CapRadio, Sammy was a health reporter at The Sacramento Bee.  Read Full Bio 

 @sammycaiola Email Sammy Caiola

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Health Care Stories

 Massimiliano Finzi/Getty Images

Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation

July 1, 2022

Most Viewed

One dead, 4 injured in Downtown Sacramento shooting

California coronavirus updates: COVID-19 cases are increasing globally

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

One dead, 4 injured in Downtown Sacramento shooting

California coronavirus updates: COVID-19 cases are increasing globally

Abortion is still legal in California. Here are answers to questions about access in the state.

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

Still testing positive after day 10? How to decide when to end your COVID isolation

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.