Title
Receive an updated response to Board Referral No. 2025.06, seeking to design a pilot program at the Alisal Health Center in East Salinas to better meet the healthcare language needs of our Indigenous-language-speaking patients.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive an updated response to Board Referral No. 2025.06, seeking to design a pilot program at the Alisal Health Center in East Salinas to better meet the healthcare language needs of our Indigenous-language-speaking patients.
SUMMARY:
Board Referral No. 2025.06 was assigned on June 10, 2025, to the Health Department to design a pilot program for the Alisal Health Clinic in East Salinas to better meet the healthcare and language needs of our Indigenous-language-speaking patients. The referral aims to create a pilot program at the Alisal Health Center to include the following strategies: increase access to interpretation services by hiring Indigenous medical interpreters for appointments, while also recognizing the need for deeper system navigation and social support by employing community health workers to assist patients with completing forms, accessing resouces, and addressing other barriers to care, update the appointment system to flag whether a patient will need an indigenous interpreter for their appointment, provide cultural humility training for clinic staff on our Indigenous communities, and make available key patient information in Indigenous languages by mediums such as video or other digital outreach efforts, when possible, on matters, such as billing and coverage for medical expenses.
DISCUSSION:
Pursuant to the Board Referral, staff presented an initial response to the Board of Supervisors on July 8, 2025. Since then, the Health Department has made significant progress in designing and implementing the pilot program at the Alisal Health Center in collaboration with our partners.
Health Department staff, along with representatives from Natividad and Centro Binacional Para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño (CBDIO), visited Salud Para La Gente, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Santa Cruz County, to learn from their well-established interpretation services program, including services for Indigenous languages. The site visit allowed County staff to identify best practices, effective workflows, and both current and anticipated challenges in program implementation.
Based on insights gained from this peer organization, the Health Department will pilot the hiring of one (1.0 FTE) trilingual medical interpreter to be stationed at the Alisal Health Center. This position will be hired and trained by Natividad Interpretation Services and allocated to the Health Department, with reimbursement to Natividad 100% of the associated costs. Natividad Interpretation Services currently has an active open recruitment for this position, and Natividad staff anticipates filling it soon.
In addition, Natividad Medical Interpretation Services will provide ongoing training for support staff at the Alisal Health Center. The 40-hour Qualified Medical Interpreter training course prepares individuals to help healthcare providers communicate effectively with patients who have limited English proficiency, thereby improving patient care and outcomes. The first training cohort is scheduled to begin on October 15, 2025.
Both of these activities and deliverables will be formalized in a Memorandum between the Health Department and Natividad.
Simultaneously, the Health Department is also in the process of hiring a part-time, paid Social Media Intern. The intern will assist with creating, scheduling, and posting multilingual content- including indigenous languages-across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. This position will support community outreach campaigns by highlighting Health Department services, events, and patient education initiatives.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT/COMMITTEE ACTIONS:
Health Department and Natividad Medical Center Staff, along with Centro Binacional Para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño (CBDIO), collaborated to create this update. This update was also reviewed and approved by County Counsel and the Auditor-Controller as to legal form and fiscal provisions, respectively.
FINANCING:
There is no impact to General Fund with this action.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS:
This recommendation advances the Board of Supervisors’ Well-being and Quality of Life strategic goal. The pilot establishes activities and deliverables to support indigenous patient engagement and better meet the healthcare language needs of our Indigenous-language-speaking patients.
Mark a check next to the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Plan Goals:
_X_ Well-Being and Quality of Life
____ Sustainable Infrastructure for the Present and Future
____ Safe and Resilient Communities
____ Diverse and Thriving Economy
Prepared by: Prashant Shinde, Bureau Chief- Clinic Services Bureau,755-1390
Approved by: Debbie Paolinelli, Assistant County Administrative Officer, 755-5309
Attachments:
Board Report
Preliminary Analysis Report
Board Referral No. # 2025.06