Bilingual community health care workers help break language barriers in Las Vegas

Nolga Valadez knows that her work for Three Square, which provides food to those in need, consists of more than offering sustenance.

After a course in bilingual community health worker training, Valadez said she is now more equipped to follow up with her clients, even after their bellies are full.

“We have more tools with us,” she said. “We can serve our community a lot better.”

Valadez was part of a group of 40 students who completed an eight-week bilingual training program provided by the Nevada Community Health Worker Association and sponsored by a grant from Molina Healthcare.

The program aims to break down language barriers and make health care more accessible to the Spanish-speaking community.

Community health workers, according to Molina, help increase health knowledge through outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support and advocacy.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, more than 23 percent of Clark County residents and nearly 16 percent of Washoe County residents speak Spanish at home. A Pew Research Center study found that 77 percent of Hispanic adults cited communication problems from language or cultural differences as a reason why Hispanic people generally have worse health outcomes than other adults in the U.S.

“We know how important it is for the Hispanic community,” Valadez said. “It’s very difficult to ask for help.”

The success of the initial education program prompted Molina to create Juntos Para La Salud, a coalition for participating graduates to continue their education outside of the classroom. Molina Healthcare hopes that the coalition will help break down language barriers and further its commitment to ensuring Nevadans have access to quality health care in their communities.

“We are proud of our very first graduating bilingual classes sponsored by Molina as they embark on their new roles assisting our community as a valuable link in our health care delivery,” Cody Wagner, interim program director for Nevada Community Health Worker Association, said in a press release.

For Valadez, the best part of the program was the network of people she met. She is now able to direct clients to more services that she knows and to help connect people.

“Molina is proud to support our future CHWs with the resources to complete this valuable, bilingual program, as CHWs provide a meaningful difference in the lives of people in our community,” Kim Gahagan, associate vice president of growth and community engagement for Molina Healthcare of Nevada, said in a press release.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.