West Jefferson Medical Center announces the grand opening of its Centro Hispano de Salud: A Hispanic-first health center

The clinic, led by Dr. Magaly Sotres, MD, and Dr. Jose Cusco, MD, aims to empower Spanish-speaking patients by putting them back in charge of their own health. Through this initiative, West Jefferson Medical Center is focused on removing traditional language barriers and social factors that have historically interfered with access to timely, high quality health care to the Hispanic community. Some of these patient factors include:

• Communication with health care providers in a non-dominant language.
• Navigation of the complex health care system.
• Misinterpretation of providers' guidance.

More than 28% of Hispanics recognize that they are not proficient in English and as such, the clinic intends to provide consistent health care with bilingual staff who are sensitive to the patients’ cultural background. This approach has shown to improve health outcomes because it allows patients to understand their situations better which, in turn, increases the likelihood that patients will follow health recommendations. The clinic will emphasize prevention and well-being through chronic disease management, screening programs, vaccinations, and the participation of various health professionals such as nutritionists, pharmacists, and social workers. The clinic also plans to develop a holistic approach based on the growing, specific needs of the Hispanic population.

“This initiative fulfills a dream that I’ve had for a long time. I was determined to do my part to improve the quality of life for the Hispanic/Latino people in this area,” says Dr. Juan J. Gershanik, MD, the visionary and leading advocate of the Centro Hispano de Salud. “I became more and more aware of the inequities in the Hispanic community and how these inequities, namely in health care—a subject very dear to me and my profession, affected the community’s well-being.”

Communication is essential to delivering high quality care and has a great effect on the patient-doctor relationship. Because our clinic is completely staffed by Spanish speaking doctors, nurses, and support staff, patients seeking care through the Centro Hispano de Salud can receive help and guidance to understand the health care system.

The Centro Hispano de Salud gives the entire family an opportunity to receive extra-extraordinary healthcare. We are building a strong community of Spanish-speaking providers and specialists across West Jefferson Medical Center and the broader LCMC Health system that includes specialties such as cardiology, endocrinology, urology, OBGYN, GI, ENT and neurosciences. “At West Jefferson Medical Center, we strive to provide healthcare for everybody. We are always seeking ways to improve access to quality healthcare and we understand the importance of serving the Hispanic population in a way that is unique and beneficial to them,” says Rob Calhoun, President & Chief Executive Officer of West Jefferson Medical Center. As we announce the opening of our Centro Hispano de Salud, Calhoun says, “We are immensely proud of what this clinic has to offer to our New Orleans community. The clinic represents a recognition of the commitment LCMC Health has to address our communities’ specific needs. We know it will have an instant impact on the health of our community and the generations to come.”

About West Jefferson Medical Center

Founded in 1956, West Jefferson Medical Center (West Jefferson) is a 419-bed community hospital located in Marrero, La. As a full-service medical center, West Jefferson offers comprehensive programs for preventive, emergency, acute and rehabilitative care with a medical staff of more than 450 physicians and a complement of 1,700 employees and many volunteers. The medical center enjoys national awards for clinical excellence across many of its subspecialties.

West Jefferson is a proud member of LCMC Health, a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit hospital system serving the healthcare needs of the Gulf Coast region. LCMC Health currently manages award-winning community hospitals including Children’s Hospital, Touro, New Orleans East Hospital, University Medical Center New Orleans, East Jefferson General Hospital and West Jefferson Medical Center.

For more information, visit: wjmc.org/hispanichealthcenter