FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. — As Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated across the country, a local nonprofit is highlighting the importance of making health care accessible to members of the Hispanic community.
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The Healing Bridge Clinic in Peachtree City provides free medical care to uninsured patients who may otherwise have to choose between seeing a doctor and paying for necessities like food or shelter.
For Spanish-speaking patients, the clinic offers something just as important: the ability to communicate with their health care providers in their own language.
Many of the clinic’s doctors, nurses and staff speak Spanish, creating a sense of comfort and relief for patients who may struggle to communicate their medical needs elsewhere.
“I’ve had patients cry because it has meant that much,” said Laura Roig, an eligibility specialist at the clinic.
José Garcia, who works with Spanish-speaking patients, said clear communication is especially important when discussing medications.
“When someone talks about medications, it’s like talking about mathematics. It has to be clear, concise information that he receives from that provider,” Garcia said.
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The clinic operates as something of a one-stop shop for health care, bringing multiple resources together for patients.
Dr. Jacob Mitchell, who works at the clinic, said the resources available at Healing Bridge are remarkable.
“They really do a great job,” Mitchell said. “And having patients feel comfortable and getting this kind of one stop shop experience has been really gratifying and simplifying for them.”
Healing Bridge is a faith-based nonprofit, and Roig said some of the people they serve are facing extremely difficult financial decisions.
“They’re not living paycheck to paycheck. They’re living dinner to dinner, truthfully,” Roig said. “And so their choice would be to stay home or to get the help they need.”
Mitchell said the free care fills a gap that can be difficult to address through traditional primary care.
“The need here at Healing Bridge is unique,” he said. “Many patients here have not found another way to get the care they need.”
The clinic also relies heavily on community volunteers, offering opportunities for both community members and students to get involved.
Over the past year, volunteers have contributed more than 7,000 hours to the clinic.
For the patients who walk through the doors, that support can mean more than simply getting an appointment. It can mean being heard, understood and cared for.
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