by Lalitha Chandolu, Aaliyah Brown, and Andy Mejía

While Minority Health Month is a time to acknowledge systemic barriers and distinct health outcomes for each minority community, it is vital to stress the reasons and root causes of such outcomes. For the Latine and Hispanic community, English literacy is a major divider between a person and quality access to health care. In the United States, acquisition of English is a key to unlocking doors and health care access for the Hispanic population. Although English is the predominant language spoken in the United States, no single language bears the title of “official language.” The United States is in the top 10 countries with the highest Spanish-speaking population, so it should adopt multilingual practices for patients with limited English proficiency, such as increasing access to bilingual medical professionals or providing necessary information in various translated languages.