OCR Text |
Show THE PARK RECORD www.park record.com WEDTHURSFRI JUNE 5-7,2002 A-9 B 1IUJLJLIU& o mm Isakson's success breaking down health department barriers has required language and experience When words become a problem, the county health department's interpreter helps maintain communication between nurses and Spanisn-speaking clientele By PATRICK PARKINSON Of the Record staff Even with such a dramatic story to tell getting her to talk about herself is a challenge. Shelley Weiss, outreach coordinator for Mountainlands Community Housing said that is just Elizabeth. "She is selfless... She is one of the unsung heroes in the Hispanic community," commu-nity," Weiss said. "She does everything." every-thing." Though she is only trying to make sure everybody understands, said Elizabeth Isakson, an interpreter at the Summit County Health Department. "When you're a foreigner and you don't speak English people take advantage advan-tage of you," Isakson said. With a relatively large Latino com- i munity, Isakson said it should be getting get-ting easier to be Latino in Summit County. "That's not the case," she said. "Many are uninsured." With a degree in Spanish education from Weber State University and having worked her way through college in different dif-ferent medical facilities, her job as an interpreter seems ordained. "I wanted to be a teacher," Isakson said. But now that she has been interpreting interpret-ing Spanish at the health department for more than five years she has discovered a significant need. "It helps greatly to have someone who speaks Spanish," Isakson said. "Most of the nurses speak very little. I work all the clinics." Focused mostly on infant health, the health department's clinics are designed to address and educate mothers about key health issues early in life. Among the Latino population Isakson said she sees many disturbing examples of poor health. "They do have a lot of challenges. Medical care is not available and they come in here with many, many health problems," said Isakson, regarding the department's immigrant patients. People immigrate to the United States from Latin America for many reasons. rea-sons. Maybe their life is in danger as they seek asylum in the country. Perhaps a destroyed economy is driving them from their homeland in search of sustenance. suste-nance. Some are refugees of war and country at that lime. The country was controlled by a dictator and we had a lot of problems with our military," Isakson said. Her first stop in the United States was Los Angeles where she attended high school and learned English. While in California her family converted con-verted to Mormonism. One of her first experiences with America's healthcare system happened just a few years after she moved to the country. Her brother became ill and ended up dying while being treated at University of California Los Angeles' hospital. "He died in 1969 and we owed the hospital $50,000," she said about her uninsured family. Her mother We had a lot Of problems in OUr worked 12 years to pay off the debt , . , . anu iuuk Laic in cvciy uciiuy, sue country at the time. The country was added. After graduating from high controlled by a dictator and we had a lot of problems with our military. " - Elizabeth Isakson interpreter others might be running from the law or just drifting. Regardless, Isakson said they must have access to healthcare. "We have to help them. If we just don't have the help sometimes we refer them," she said. As a Latino immigrant herself, Isakson said she understands much of what her many patrons at the health department have gone through. "I have some good experience," she said. She immigrated to the United States from Guatemala with her mother and six brothers and sisters in 1965 when she was 15 years old. "At that time our country was in a civil war," Isakson said. Fortunately her mother met an American man in Guatemala who offered to help the family move to the states. "I know what immigrants are going through," Isakson said. Among other things, her experience helps her understand the many social and political obstacles immigrants face, she said. "We had a lot of problems in school Isakson moved to St. George to attend Dixie College. She received her associate's degree and went to Brigham Young University for one year. "I met my husband in college," she said. After taking a break to raise her family Elizabeth returned to BYU about 10 years ago 'and then quickly transferred trans-ferred to Weber State in Ogden to finish her degree. "I finished a lot faster by going to Weber," she said. With three children, she and her husband hus-band moved to Summit County from St. George about five years ago. "I was raising my children," Isakson said, adding that her husband is a Summit County native. One day while taking someone who did not speak English to the health department for an appointment one of the directors asked her if she would like to work for the county. Weiss said since accepting the position posi-tion the amount of work Isakson accomplishes and the diversity of tasks she takes on is "phenomenal." "People aren't familiar with the work she's done. She works really hard. She winds up taking on a lot. I'm glad she has not burned out," she said. Often many factors not obvious to health department workers contribute to patients' problems. If a nurse does not 1 X 4 ' " PETER CHU0LEIGHWRK RECORD Elizabeth Isakson of Peoa, an interpreter at the Summit County Health Department said having someone able to speak Spanish with the county's Increasing Latino population Is key to maintaining a healthy community. impossible, Weiss said. "There's always more to the story than the immediate demand at the health department," she said. Isakson's communication skills combined with her They immigrants do have a lot of challenges. Medical care is not available and they come in here with many, many health problems." - Elizabeth Isakson interpreter compassion, has made her invaluable to the department, Weiss added. "She's pretty cool," she said. Latinos are somewhat misunderstood by society, Isakson said, and while traditional tradi-tional culture must be maintained? Warn- she can offer immigrants, she said. "I feel for people a lot and I think it's wonderful to be bilingual," Isakson said. "But learning English is a top priority." However, legislation like Utah's English-Only proposal is niisdi- retted, she said. The bill is an attempt by state lawmakers to use only English for printing certain government documents. As by far Utah's most popular foreign language, the law may affect Spanish speakers the most. "I don't think they have the opportunities to learn it," Isakson said. "If we had to do that English- Only) up here I don't think we could serve the community." Latinos are the fastest growing racial demographic in Utah. Talented and bilingual people like Isakson are steadily becoming more important. "I think she's fabulous. It scares me," our - speak Spanish, detecting these factors is ing to speak English is the best advice ,.f Weiss said. EI ft ft-l () WCt 1,AmLTAL ittntiCt tm M mtUmt rJi in, it mi nd Annual imvs mtifl mm SffL i 0 f off Original refailsJ Unique Giffware, Clothing from Bogner & Postcard, Skis, Bindings, Goggles, Boeri, Briko, Scott, Oakley, Salomon, Volkl Everything Must Go!!!- Map to Warehouse tv 04 Justness Loop ffU 655-9223 tit 6 it Li c |