The Kansas Health Foundation (KHF) has awarded a $75,000 Building Power and Equity Partnership grant to further the Alce su voz program, which works toward health equity for Spanish speakers and speakers of indigenous languages.
The program was started by Rachel Showstack, associate professor of Spanish in Wichita State University’s Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her goal is to ensure that individuals who need language assistance attain the same quality of health care services and access to health information as those whose dominant language is English. According to Showstack, health equity for speakers of marginalized languages requires that qualified medical interpreters are provided for individuals who need them.
“Not having a qualified professional interpreter can lead to errors in communication and even misdiagnoses, which can lead to less-than-optimal health outcomes, and even, in some cases, preventable death,” said Showstack.
The grant from KHF will be used to hold a series of Spanish-language community engagement and education workshops in Wichita and southwest Kansas, focused on different types of civic engagement. The workshops stemmed from a proposal written by one of Showstack’s students, Savannah Paschal, and will be in collaboration with the Wichita-based health education organization Salud+Bienestar. In addition, the Alce su voz team will support Spanish-speaking Kansans in sharing their personal stories with lawmakers, health care administrators and other community members via recorded videos.
“Our organization is called Alce su voz, which literally translates to ‘raise your voice,’ because we amplify the voices of Spanish-speaking community members,” said Showstack. “The partnership with the Kansas Health Foundation supports an amazing group of community leaders who are working together to bring Spanish-speaking voices to the forefront of civic conversations.”
The Building Power and Equity Partnership (BPEP) program works with select community partners to advance racial and health equity in Kansas. The program does not hold an open request for proposals, rather, they extend invitations to those working in areas that align with its focus.
“As we look at our mission to improve the health of all Kansans, we recognize we must address the disparities that exist in health outcomes,” said Ed O’Malley, KHF president and CEO. “Supporting organizations through the BPEP program allows us to take a step toward a state where your health isn’t affected by where you live, what your income is, your race/ethnicity or the other social factors that right now play a large role in who is healthy and who isn’t.”
As Hispanic student enrollment continues to increase at WSU, the university is on track to become a Hispanic Serving Institution by 2030. A Hispanic Serving Institution is an eligible institution that has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time students of at least 25% Hispanic students. The classification will allow the university to apply for federal grants, leading to expanded and improved academic opportunities for Hispanic students.
To learn more about Alce su voz, please visit the organization’s website or go to the Alce su voz Facebook page.
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