They can get care. The problem is accessing it, said Betsie Weil, parish nurse at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on Pikes Peak Avenue. Recently the church began conducting a number of outreach activities to help Spanish-speaking immigrants navigate the city s health care system. The church created a Spanish-language resource list that tells immigrants where to go to get help. The church also has enlisted a volunteer to offer translation to families trying to access Medicaid, Medicare or the Community Health Center.
People look at the application and they throw up their hands.
Other efforts are under way to close the gap in immigrant health-care services. The county Health Department, recognizing it has a large population of Spanish-speaking people seeking services, is offering to pay for employees who wish to learn another language, including Spanish. The department is also offering Spanish-language brochures in its offices and has started a drug and alcohol support group for Spanish speakers. In the last nine months we ve really been trying hard to help our immigrant population, said Dr. Tisha Dowe, Health Department director. At first glance, immigrant access to health care may seem like something only immigrants need to worry about.