Intermountain Health Opens First-of-Its-Kind in the Region Spanish Speaking Kidney Transplant Clinic
April 30 2024 - 7:21PM
Intermountain Health has opened the first clinic of its kind in the
Intermountain West that is designed specifically to support
Spanish-speaking patients undergoing kidney transplantation.
The new Intermountain Clinica Hispana de Riñon at Intermountain
Medical Center in Murray, Utah offers culturally comprehensive
care, where providers address patients in their native language and
are trained to support patients’ cultural needs and educational
styles.
Pre-transplant patients receive education and evaluation by all
providers in Spanish, including meeting with bilingual providers in
nephrology, surgery, social work, coordinators, finance, and
nutrition.
“Programs like this are quite rare in the United States,” said
Ivan Zendejas, MD, Intermountain Health transplant surgeon. “We are
happy to offer this much needed service to our patients.”
“Our vision for the clinic is to help bridge the gap between the
medical community and the Latino community and help our patients
feel more comfortable when trying to maneuver the complicated
transplant world, said Alan Contreras, MD, transplant surgeon for
Intermountain Health’s abdominal transplant program at
Intermountain Medical Center.
Patients who receive medical information in their preferred
language are more likely to understand and participate fully in
decisions about their care, according to research.
Intermountain Health Transplant Services caregivers spearheaded
this project, recognizing there are many misconceptions about
transplantation and the donation process in Spanish-speaking
communities and that some information may get lost in
translation.
The new clinic supports patients who prefer to communicate in
Spanish, and who are undergoing kidney transplantation with
personalized and multi-disciplinary care.
“Patients have told me they can finally understand their health
care,” said Anna Petersen, PA-C, physician associate for
Intermountain Health. “They also tell me they feel empowered
because they and their family totally understand what is happening
with their transplant.”
Clinica Hispana de Riñon has been open for several months and
already, caregivers and patients and are noticing the
difference.
“Receiving information about my surgery in my native language,
gave me so much confidence,” said Luis Campos, liver and kidney
transplant patient. “All my questions were answered, I was
reassured, and my mind was put at ease.”
Intermountain Health Transplant Services also offers a clinic
for Spanish speaking patients post-transplant where they meet with
a nephrology provider and pharmacist who speak with them in their
native language to help complete a successful transplant
journey.
For more information on the clinic go here or call
801-507-3380.
Contact: Lance
Madigan: lance.madigan@imail.org
/ intermountainnews@imail.org / 385.275.8245
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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