The Monterey County Health Department presented to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Oct. 21 on progress toward launching an indigenous language pilot program that aims to improve healthcare services for residents who speak Mexican indigenous languages at the Alisal Health Clinic in East Salinas.
For the past couple of years, Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño has worked with indigenous people in Monterey County to improve their access to healthcare.
The pilot aims to increase those concerns by hiring four new positions, including a trilingual English, Spanish and an indigenous language in-house interpreter and a part-time social media intern to disseminate information and create videos to inform patients about topics like billing. Prashant Shinde, bureau chief for clinic services at the Monterey County Health Department, says it’s also on the books to add two community health workers to help people navigate the healthcare system and fill out paperwork. He expects the new hires by the end of the year.
The pilot also calls for additional cultural training for staff. The first cohort started on Oct. 15.
Indigenous people have reported discrimination at Monterey County health clinics, a lack of cultural awareness and access to interpretation, and their appointments being changed or cancelled in retaliation.
“Staff recognize the urgent need to improve language access and delivery of culturally appropriate services for our indigenous communities,” Shinde wrote in a June report to the board.
Maricela Ramirez, coordinator of financial justice for CBDIO, says this is the first step to improve healthcare access for indigenous people. She hopes the 12-month pilot becomes permanent, and expands to include the Chatino language.
The Alisal Health Center reports that in 2024 it served 11,062 people, with only 29 who indicated they spoke Mixteco or Chatino. Still, Shinde estimates about 500 patients are Mexican indigenous speakers.
Shinde says clinics have already implemented changes to their system to flag patients’ preferred language. Once the new staff joins the Alisal clinic, he expects to attract more patients from the indigenous community. “We expect by providing these services, patients and families will be more comfortable, and there may be an increase in utilization of services for preventive and primary care,” he says.