Team: La Clinica del Pueblo

Community Partner:
La Clinica Del Pueblo
2831 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009-4607
http://www.lcdp.org

Anticipated Project(s): Immigrant Patient Rights
The 2010-2011 La Clinica IPR team will likely continue the work of last year's team. The team partnered with La Clinica Del Pueblo's Language Access Committee to create, conduct, and analyze a survey regarding language services for non-English speaking patients within DC healthcare facilities. The goal of the survey was to identify the current barriers these healthcare facilities face and uncover some of their current needs for cultural and interpreter training. As the survey results were received, they were compiled into an Epi Info database that was available for data analysis. The team formed a summary report from the data analysis and presented it to the Language Access Committee. The summarized information is now being used to design and plan cultural and interpreter training programs.

The 2010-2011 team can expand on the survey and compile additional information within the database. Additionally, the survey can be distributed to additional healthcare facilities including ones in Maryland and Virginia. The incoming team may also be working with La Clinica’s Language Access Committee to implement training and informational programs in response to the past year’s survey results. Furthermore, the team can look into organizing a sit down meeting for directors of language services to discuss the pros/cons and cost of different translation services; research the barriers that interfere with ASL services; invest time and money into revamping the I Speak cards to upgrade their look (professionalism) and information.

Expectations of Team Members
Team members are expected to attend and actively participate in ISCOPES' team meetings, functions, and program events, as well as be committed to the team's projects, team process, and curriculum. Members of the Immigrant Patients' Rights team will decide, with the university and community advisors, about which aspects and what methods will be used to address patient rights, including language rights. Members will be encouraged to support the Health Fair Outreach team's efforts. There are no additional site specific expectations.

Availability to participate in on-site activities:
Members of the Immigrant Patients' Rights team will decide, with the university and community advisors, about which aspects and what methods will be used to address patient rights, including language rights.

Language skills (other than English): Proficiency in Spanish is a plus, since the majority of clients are Latino, however, it is not a requirement.

Directions to site:
From the Metro – Green Line – Columbia Heights Metro Station Exit the station via the escalators to your left, which will take you to the southwestern corner of 14th and Irving Streets. Head east (right out of the exit) on Irving Street. Make a right onto 14th Street and head South until Harvard Street. Make a right onto Harvard Street, then a left onto 15th Street. La Clínica is located on the left side of 15th Street, directly across from All Souls Church.

Past Projects
The 2008-09 La Clinica del Pueblo ISCOPES team successfully completed a variety of projects. The team assisted with La Clinica health fairs. These health fairs focused on educating community members about chronic diseases and common health concerns for Latinos, as well as providing information about a specific patient’s risks. These topics included: body mass index, cholesterol, HIV, hypertension, and diabetes.  The health fairs offered an opportunity for ISCOPES volunteers to become involved directly with the community, to learn how community health educators interact with the community, and to see how the materials they developed are being used. In addition, the team collected donations of glucose and cholesterol strips to be used at community health fairs. The team also created a health clinic referral guide. This document provides a list of the majority of health clinics in the DC area, the services they offer, the method of payment, the insurance required, and the nearest bus lines, to assist the health fair workers in properly directing members of the community to a clinic best suited to care for them.

The 2008-09 team hosted a couple of brown bag lunches on patient rights and responsibilities in regard to language access. This event was an opportunity to inform current and future clinicians about limited-English proficient (LEP) and non-English proficient (NEP) patients who may come into the clinic. The team explained the patients’ rights and responsibilities, as well as educated on the legalities of the process. This presentation helped clinicians and students understand the language barriers and what their role as a clinician is to make sure all patients have the same opportunities for treatment and equal health care.

The 2007-08 ISCOPES La Clinica team has developed "I Speak" cards in a number of languages, developed a website for both providers and patients, given information sessions to providers and brown bag sessions for GW health professions students, spoken with patients in clinics, health fairs, and on street corners.  We've created a PSA (Public Service Announcement in the form of a TV Commercial) and presented at regional and national conferences.

Site Description
La Clinica del Pueblo is a community health clinic in Ward 1 in Washington, DC, which began in 1983 as a Coalition of Central and North Americans seeking to improve the quality of health care among Latino residents. It started as a one room free clinic for the Latino population and now has developed into a multi-story, comprehensive health center that continues to offer services to uninsured children and adults.

The current facility, located in Mount Pleasant, Washington DC, provides comprehensive primary care; adult and pediatric, vaccination programs, women's health services, a diabetes clinic, comprehensive AIDS programs from prevention to treatment to case management, nutrition counseling, a 24 hour medical call and full service laboratory, community- based outreach, counseling, mental health services, complementary medical services, and patient advocacy. There are presently over 30 staff members and 100 volunteers, which consist of doctors, physician assistants, medical residents, chiropractors, nurse practitioners, nurses, psychologists, social workers, medical assistants, laboratory technicians, health workers, medial records personnel, health educators, office workers, and volunteers.

Over 97% of the population served is Latino, with 86% being recent immigrants from Central or South America and 55% originally from El Salvador. The majority speaks little English; many are illiterate in Spanish and in English, with over 90% being most comfortable communicating with their provider in Spanish. Up to 90% have no health insurance and 95% have incomes below the federal poverty level. La Clinica was and remains the only bilingual, bicultural medical clinic that provides entirely free care to Latinos in the greater Washington area, serving the uninsured and underinsured, La Clinica Del Pueblo serves over 5,500 patients with over 31,000 patient visits per year.