The University of Utah South Main Clinic offers in person
interpretation services for Spanish speakers. But if you speak another
language or are from a non-Spanish country, you're out of luck.
The managers of the clinic are racist. The University of Utah is racist.
Most clinics of the University provide in person interpreters at no cost to patients, as is required by federal law.
But the South Main clinic only provides in person interpreters at no cost to patients if they speak Spanish.
They
claim that over the phone is "just as good" as in person. But this is a
lie. Over the phone interpretation creates more barriers, is more
clunky to use, tends to negatively impact the experience of dealing with
the provider in the room, and so on. "In person" is just better, better
for us.
Their managers refused to listen to us. They refused to
provide the name of their medical director. They run the clinic like a
little fiefdom. A private little dictatorship. And they will engage in petty retaliation against anyone who complains or who raises their head.
Racist Whack-A-Mole is what they do de facto.
South
Main Clinic, 3690 Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84115 - Midwives
for adults & teens; Teen mothers; Pediatrics - all University of
Utah providers. But if you go there, you only get "top service" if you
speak Spanish. Otherwise you're sorry out of luck. And they don't care about what you have to say, period.
They decide. You can either choose to live with their dictates, or go elsewhere.
Racist hostile treatment.
Clinic manager, "public servant" (in name only, not in deed), a Jeremy Egusquiza, is a racist in our view.
Do Spanish ancestry people hate Asians?
At the South Main Clinic, they do, de facto - by their actions at least, and that's what counts.
Racist treatment is racist treatment.
Additional key details:
1. University managers and staff promised to honor our interpretation preferences.
2.
University managers and staff stated we would receive as a first
preference an in person interpreter at the South Main Clinic.
3.
In response to a complaint about a lack of an interpreter invite by
schedulers for one visit, the manager of the South Main Clinic choose to
illegally retaliate (illegal in more ways than one), and to pettily
shut off our access to in person interpretation at that clinic. The
actions of Jeremy Egusquiza were a de facto booting of my wife who is
about to have a baby any day now. Petty. Shallow. Slimy. Racist.
Retaliatory. And illegal in our view.
4. "They look down on Asian
people." That's what my wife shared with me yesterday as we were
sitting in a room at South Main waiting to see our preferred midwife.
5.
On 5-18-2016 Leissa Roberts, Associate Dean for Factulty Practice with
the College of Nursing, promised in writing "Your translator preference
is noted in your wife's chart and we will continue to use the services
you prefer in an effort to provide the best care possible."
6. On
8-9-2016 Leissa Roberts reneged on her promise, and stated "we will be
unable to meet your request to have in person interpretation" at the
South Main clinic.
7. On 7-20-2016 Melanie Wolcott stated "I have
shared with management at South Main Clinic that the expectation is to
have Catherine at all your visits--not phone translation services if at
all possible."
8. On 8-5-2016 Melanie Wolcott responded to a
complaint I sent about a lack-of-invite for an interpreter for one
particular South Main clinic visit. She then stated: "I have passed this
on to the clinic manager. You should hear back early next week about
this."
9. However next on 8-10 Melanie Wolcott passes along the
retaliatory response from the South Main clinic managers, via stating
that the: "...South Main Clinic will not be able to provide in person
translation services at the clinic."
10. Hostile treatment is hostile treatment.
11. Racist treatment is racist treatment.
12. A de facto booting is a de facto booting.
13.
The tone & content of the response offered by Jeremy Egusquiza is
outrageous. The man refused to share with me the name of the medical
director for the South Main Clinic, a Wendy Hobson-Rohrer. I reminded
him that he is a public servant and that the University is a public
institution - and that as such he is required to provide such info when
requested. He refused.
14. Our experience of being at the butt
end of racist retaliation at the hands of University staff is being
shared with Asian advocacy groups and people within Utah. We are letting
people know that the South Main Clinic is not a welcoming place for
anyone who doesn't speak Spanish.
15. Again, it is particularly
slimy to treat a pregnant woman in this way who is about to have a baby.
Two children at the University hospital. Thousands of dollars. Mr.
Egusquiza doesn't care. He doesn't know what went on at Heartland, nor
does he care. He gets to decide, like the king of his own little
fiefdom. He gets to dictate what happens, everything else be damned. He
get to retaliate in a racist manner against my wife. And the College of
Nursing also gets to renege on the promise they made on 5-18 where they
stated "Your translator preference is noted in your wife's chart and we
will continue to use the services you prefer in an effort to provide the
best care possible." All these people get to do this - unless you
choose to change your mind. Is this possible? Can you honor your
promises? Can you honor the law? Can you provide equal and equitable
levels of service in this regard across the University Health System?
16.
We like the midwives themselves. Usually kind women who are more than
willing to help. But in the case of the the South Main Clinic, they are
operating within an environment which is hostile to patient care. If we
received in person interpretation at Heartland all while Heartland was
open (2+ years), then we should be able to receive it at South Main (as
per the midwife practice transfer from Heartland to South Main). This
would be "equal treatment across the system." But this is only one
reason to provide in person interpreters at South Main. Another is
providing equal treatment for all races. If you provide in person
interpretation for Spanish, then you must provide in-person for all.
Another are the College of Nursing promises made to us in writing about
honoring our interpretation preferences (5-18-16 and 7-20-16). And
another is just common decency and proper treatment of a pregnant woman.
If South Main
started providing in person interpretation, then
they cannot just unilaterally decide to cut us off. They have cut us
off, and their treatment of my family is a de facto boot, plus it's also
a de facto invite to leave the University system altogether. But other
clinics at the University have been willing to provide a higher level of
service, one which meets our needs interpretation wise. Yes sometimes
an in person person is not available and we understand. Sometimes
there's kinks in the system which need to be identified which he have
helped with, and the past kinks have mostly been fixed (interpretation
wise, for my wife's care). All other clinics try and get an in person
interpreter. They try, and that's all we ask really.
