Akron Children’s Hospital has launched a new clinic to help eliminate language barriers for Spanish-speaking patients and their families in the Wayne County area.
The Akron Children’s Hospital Pediatrics Wooster office is offering a special walk-in clinic for Spanish-speaking patients from 8:30 to 11 a.m. the second Friday of each month.
During the clinics, a medical interpreter under contract with Akron Children’s will be available to help patients and their families better communicate their medical concerns.
The office staff suggested the pilot project because the practice has been treating an increasing number of patients who speak Spanish as their first language, said Natasha Curtis, language access coordinator for Akron Children’s.
In addition to a medical interpreter, the practice also has signs, brochures and medical forms available in Spanish.
“We want to make sure we offer that bridge for communication,” Curtis said.
Akron Children’s estimates about 400 Spanish-speaking families live in the Wayne County area. Nearly 6 percent of Wooster residents ages 5 and older speak a language other than English in their home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The office now has about 50 patients in Spanish-speaking families, but that number is expected to grow as word spreads about the new clinic, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The hospital offers interpretation at all its locations for a variety of languages as needed, Curtis said. Some of the interpretation services are provided via phone.
The goal is “to provide an equal footing for people who speak different languages,” Curtis said.
The Wooster office is at 128 E. Milltown Road, Suite 209.
Free healthy family expo
The Healthy Baby Fair and Family Expo will take place 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the John S. Knight Convention Center in downtown Akron.
The free event is geared for expectant parents and families with children 5 and younger.
Information will be available about health, safety and child development.
Numerous activities and services will be offered for children, including a Trick-or-Treat at Safety Village, fossil dig, digital IDs, crafts, infant development toys, fluoride varnish applications, blood lead tests, hearing tests, scoliosis screening, posture evaluations, photo opportunities with Sesame Street and other characters, a meet-and-greet with Ronald McDonald and baby crawling races every hour.
Other giveaways and free door prizes also will be offered.
The event is sponsored by the Summit County Public Health Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program in partnership with the West Akron Kiwanis Club, UnitedHealthCare Community Plan, Akron General Medical Center Women’s Center, Akron Children’s Hospital and Summit County Children Services.
For more information, call Summit County Public Health at 330-375-2077.
Robinson center gets honor
The Streetsboro Chamber of Commerce recently honored Robinson Memorial Hospital’s Robinson Health Center at Streetsboro as “Business of the Year.”
The chamber board of directors selects an organization or individual each year that makes a positive impact on the community and the chamber, according to a news release.
This year, the outpatient center hosted a community health fair in partnership with the chamber and participated as a sponsor in the chamber golf outing and the Business Expo and Community Showcase.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Streetsboro Chamber of Commerce to promote health and wellness to the residents of Streetsboro and surrounding communities,” Stephen Colecchi, Robinson’s president and chief executive, said in a news release.
Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Powell on Twitter at twitter.com/abjcherylpowell.
