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If you or a family member of yours is primarily Spanish speaking, then doing daily routines can be a chore in a predominantly English-speaking society. Little things like going to the store, answering simple questions on the street, and making appointments can be things that stress you to the point of anxiety. In a situation like going to the doctor, this anxiety can be heightened since you are dealing with your own health and it can be scary to not understand what is going on and why you are having certain tests. It is also hard to know if your healthcare provider understands all the information that you are giving if they are not very good at speaking Spanish and you aren't good at speaking English. When you are dealing with your health, it is important that you have the care that you need in your own language. That is why finding a bilingual urgent care in your area is a necessity. Here are some tips for finding one. Online Search Bilingual urgent care centers are not as common as typical urgent care centers and hospitals. Depending on where you live, it can be a challenge to find one nearby. You might have to drive an extra-long distance to go to one, and it might be in your best interest to go to a hospital and use a translator, though the wait time will be comparable because you will likely have to wait a long time to talk to a translator. The best place to start your search for a bilingual facility is to do an online search. It takes very little time and if you live in states bordering Mexico, you will likely have some options not too far away. However, even if you do not live near the Mexican border, you can find a typical urgent care that has bilingual services within it, though the quality of communication may not be as good. Friends Another great resource for finding any kind of medical attention that you need would be to ask some friends. If you speak only Spanish, you likely have some friends who also speak Spanish. Ask these friends which doctors and facilities they recommend. Sometimes a medical professional may claim to speak fluent Spanish, but when you actually start to talk to him or her it becomes obvious that they aren't quite as well-versed with the language as you'd like. This is why getting a personal recommendation is invaluable. Government Programs Another great place to start your search, if you recently moved to the United States from another country, is to talk to people in charge of government-run programs. When you move in from out of the country, there is quite a bit of paperwork that you need to fill out to register as either someone on a visa, green card, or a new citizen. Your caseworker will be able to point you in the right direction for your medical care and providers who speak Spanish. You can also go to the hospital or urgent care in your area and talk to the registrars who usually will have information on how to find Spanish speaking doctors or at least give you an idea of how the translation process works in that facility. Finding a bilingual urgent care center may be a bit of a challenge at first, but it is well worth the effort to make you feel more comfortable and at ease throughout your medical crisis. It is very important to trust your medical professional, and it is much easier to trust someone who can communicate clearly with you.
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