Free Augusta health clinic reaches out to the Spanish-speaking community

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - As National Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, we’re hearing from students at the Medical College of Georgia running a free health clinic for our local Spanish-speaking community.

The clinic’s purpose is to reach those who may not have easy access to health care while also dealing with potential language barriers.

This clinic reaches anyone who lives below the poverty level or does not have health insurance.

It’s operated mostly by students at the MCG, who tell us how this clinic serves the community and why it is so important. The students who work in Clinica Latina are providing care to underserved populations.

“We are their primary care provider, and so we get to see a wide variety of care and get to serve a community that often never has that opportunity,” said Operations and Outreach Coordinator Simon Miller.

One of the barriers to this care is language, and that’s a gap this clinic is working to bridge. The interpreter coordinator says it often leads to patients not wanting to get critical preventative care.

Costs can also be a concern.

OBGYN, HIV Coordinator Samantha Brener said: “It’s really important to allow them to have that opportunity to see a doctor and be cared for free. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to afford it, and their health conditions could get much worse.”

Director of Medicine, Clinica Latina, Future Centro Medico, Dr. William Salazar said: “If they don’t receive services in a timely fashion they’re going to end up in the emergency rooms and the cost is going to be increased.”

Salazar says it’s also a learning opportunity as it teaches students in depth about working in a clinic. But for them, what’s most important is the service opportunity.

Miller said: “This clinic is so important because this is the opportunity to help people who’ve never had service before. Who may not have the opportunity to get care.”

All of the students we spoke to say they are excited to serve the community this way. Anyone who meets the qualifications and is interested in scheduling an appointment, visit Clinica Latina. If you’re fluent in interpreting you can also serve as a volunteer.

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