Unfortunately, the United States is undergoing very intense changes that are directly targeting the livelihoods and lifestyles of the immigrant community. In some cases, these individuals are unable to speak for themselves, and as a result, are simply forgotten or thrown to the wayside. In California, a Hispanic man was almost denied medical attention because he only spoke Spanish, and the particular doctor’s office he was at allegedly did not want to provide an interpreter. It’s a good thing his son was there to save the day.
The above video was posted to the TikTok account @ruben_jflores, which belongs to a special education teacher named Ruben Flores. His account primarily covers his job as a Deaf/Hard of Hearing teacher and the various obstacles that come with it. This video was drastically different, and instead of featuring a classroom or school, it features his own father.
In the video, his father was allegedly denied a Spanish interpreter when he went to his most recent doctor’s appointment. According to Flores, almost everyone in the office spoke Spanish, and even the person who had called 24 hours before to confirm the appointment also spoke Spanish. It was only the doctor who was attending to Flores’ father, who reportedly did not speak the language.
Flores also made a point of checking the website of this particular office and found that it does not mention that it wouldn’t be providing an interpreter. Fortunately, Flores caught wind of what was happening, and instead of allowing the doctor to reschedule his father’s appointment, he left his job in the middle of the day to help him.
California Doctor’s Office Allegedly Refuses to Provide Spanish Interpreter
According to Flores, as a first-generation Mexican/American, he has been interpreting for his parents since he was five years old. In that time, his father had learned English, but not fluently enough to be able to understand medical terminology.
Commenters immediately rushed to the replies to condemn the doctor’s office and provide their own advice, with one person simply saying, “Hospital employee here: that’s illegal for them to deny him.” Other comments also focus on the legality of the situation, with another top comment saying, “all these people saying they couldn’t have a interpreter without notice obviously do NOT work in healthcare. There’s a 24 hour medical hotline for EVERY DIALECT IN EVERY LANGUAGE.”
Fortunately, Flores’ father was able to be seen and attended to, but not without a load of emotional distress. It’s unfortunate that this needed to happen at all, and I’d like to think that employees of that hospital were notified or punished in some way.
