St. Mary’s Medical Center Caters to Asian Patients
April 1, 2008
San Francisco – St. Mary’s Medical Center, located near the large Asian populations of the Richmond and Sunset districts, offers a range of services to make Asian patients feel at home.
Many doctors and nurses speak Asian languages; in-house Cantonese, Mandarin and Taishanese interpreters are available, and interpreter services can be arranged for any language. Hospital signs are in four languages: English, Russian, Spanish and Chinese. At nurse’s stations, non-English speaking patients can point to printed cards in their language to communicate messages such as “I am in pain” or “I need to use the restroom.” Patients and doctors can request Asian food items such as porridge or broccoli beef from the hospital menu. Patients can also get daily Chinese newspapers delivered to their rooms and watch Chinese TV programs.
Dr. Lee Chan has witnessed the expansion of Asian services at St. Mary’s. He trained there over 10 years ago and served as former chair of the Asian Physicians Advisory Committee, a group of physicians, pharmacists, translators and department representatives, which meets regularly to discuss ways to improve the hospital experience for Asian patients.
APAC started in 1992 when a significant number of Asian physicians started working in the area. The original purpose of the committee was to support new doctors, but eventually the group began addressing the needs and problems of Asian patients and local residents as well. Donna Lee, APAC manager/secretary and hospital translator, personally pays a visit to every new Chinese patient. Today the group has more than 100 members.
Chan said hospital President Ken Steele has been very supportive of the group’s efforts. “He has a million meetings to go to, but he’s been to every APAC meeting for the past five or six years,” Chan said. “I think he’s proud of us. When we plan to do something, we do it. He feels attending our meetings is well worth the time.”
Debbie Gee, vice president of Surgical Services and Business Development, helped bring about many of the current services. Under her leadership four to five years ago, a full-time Chinese interpreter was hired and ethnic newspapers and menu items were added.
One important community service provided by St. Mary’s is its longtime presence at Asian street fairs such as the Cherry Blossom Festival. Medical professionals provide information and free health screenings at an “Ask the Doctor” booth. The screenings target health risks prevalent among Asians, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis and glaucoma. Other community outreach programs include health lectures on the radio and live lectures in Cantonese.
St. Mary’s Sister Mary Philippa clinic also provides services to an ethnically and socially diverse group, approximately 40 percent of whom are Southeast Asian. Several staff interpreters speak Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Chinese or Laotian.
According to Chan, Asian patients appreciate the language services and food options available at St. Mary’s.
“In general, they love it, but they don’t know it’s unique to our hospital,” Chan said.
For nearly 150 years, St. Mary’s Medical Center has provided compassionate, patient-centered care combined with the latest advances in medical care and cutting-edge technology. St. Mary’s Medical Center is a full-service acute care facility that is home to advanced medical practices, such as the nation’s first digital cardiac catheterization laboratory, pioneering spine surgery and comprehensive rehabilitation programs.
With more than 400 private rooms and breathtaking views of the city, patients benefit from the latest advances in medical care and technology.
St. Mary’s Medical Center has more than 575 physicians and 1,500 employees, who deliver on the mission to provide compassionate, high-quality and affordable health care services to the Bay Area community and patients from around the world.
St. Mary’s Medical Center
450 Stanyan St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
Comments
One Response to “St. Mary’s Medical Center Caters to Asian Patients”
Got something to say?
Very interesting article. I am the Chairman of the Board of Directors for National Assoc of Asian American Professionals. It is very heart warming to see hospitals / medical centers go the extra mile to make their patients feel comfortable while going through a painful experience. Very interesting reading. Seems like the author did a very thorough research.