Care Culture Talks

In this episode, Ecuadorian Spanish medical interpreter Matias Saenz shares his journey from training to becoming a certified nationwide interpreter. He discusses the daily life of a medical interpreter, from guiding patients through hospital facilities to navigating cultural misunderstandings between patients and providers. Through powerful stories—including potentially dangerous translation errors, delivering difficult news, and creating meaningful connections with patients—Matias reveals how medical interpreters serve as cultural bridges in healthcare settings while highlighting both the emotional challenges and rewarding aspects of this essential role.

In this enlightening episode of Care Culture Talks, host Eyal Heldenberg sits down with Diana Erani, Chief Operating Officer at the National Association of Community Health Centers. Diana shares her impressive journey from working with Healthcare for the Homeless in Houston to her current national role overseeing 1,500 community health centers serving 32.5 million Americans. She explains the unique model of community health centers—where 51% of board members are patients—and how these centers achieve better clinical outcomes at lower costs by prioritizing cultural competence. Diana offers valuable insights on language access challenges in healthcare settings, the importance of certified medical interpreters, and shares her vision for the future where community health centers might serve one in three Americans instead of the current one in ten. This conversation illuminates how community-driven healthcare can bridge cultural and linguistic gaps to provide truly accessible care for diverse populations.

Dr. Deborah Gilboa shares her 25 years of experience navigating cross-cultural healthcare communication at a federally qualified health center serving patients from over 100 countries. From sign language interpretation to understanding cultural beliefs around treatment, Dr. Gilboa provides practical insights on building trust across language and cultural barriers in medical settings.

Dr. Jeffrey Chen shares his unique perspective as an emergency medicine physician at Mills Peninsula Hospital near San Francisco International Airport, where he regularly treats patients speaking dozens of languages. From his early days as a medical student managing interpreter phones to becoming trilingual himself, Dr. Chen discusses the challenges and opportunities in providing culturally competent emergency care. He offers insights into various interpretation methods - from family members to professional services - while highlighting the evolving role of AI in medical interpretation.