2006 Community Benefit Annual Report

Breaking the Language Barrier

Sr. Loretta Finn and Sr. Elsie Gamez (both seated in the banner above) photographed with just some of the many appreciative students from their Aprendemos Juntos: We Learn Together English as a Second Language program, which they started in partnership with Provena St. Mary's Hospital.

Sister Elsie Gamez with students

Imagine living in a community where you could not speak the language. How hard would it be to go to the grocery store, obey traffic laws and help with your children's homework assignments? How would you read prescription instructions, make and keep medical appointments and understand your own health conditions?

In October 2005, Sr. Loretta Finn and Sr. Elsie Gamez, two concerned Sisters of one of Provena Health's sponsoring congregations, the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary, partnered with Provena St. Mary's Hospital to meet a need within Kankakee County's growing Hispanic population - addressing the increasing number of individuals who had very limited English language skills.

The total number of Spanish speakers residing in Kankakee County had grown 350% between 1990 and 2005. According to the 2005 Census, there were more than 7,000 Spanish speaking individuals in the county, representing 6.5% of the population, and past statistics indicated that one-third to one-half or more of these individuals spoke English less than "very well."

There were already English as a Second Language (ESL) programs established in the community, but all but one were held during hours when the adults who needed the program were working, and none took the extra step to focus on health literacy. So the Sisters started Aprendemos Juntos: We Learn Together last spring at Provena St. Mary's Hospital. The program not only teaches English to adults but also offers lessons in health literacy.

Sr. Loretta and Sr. Elsie offer classes twice a week for two hours at a time, and also allow students to attend on a drop-in basis. Students work through a series of lessons tailored to support their level of language proficiency, and each participant receives personalized attention from the instructors. Lessons include activities in phonics, basic conversation, translation, vocabulary building and listening and writing skills. Provena St. Mary's Hospital donates the meeting space, books and supplies, eliminating the need to charge students for the classes.

Appropriate to the hospital setting is the health literacy component to the program, which the Sisters have plans to expand pending a grant approval. Lessons educate students on safety hazards, common illnesses, medication use, visiting a doctor and other personal health issues.

Sister Loretta Finn with a student

"Students practice building their English skills while learning how to care for their own health needs and the health needs of those in their care," says Sr. Elsie. "Furthermore, because the classes are held within the hospital, if a medical emergency does arise, students are already familiar enough with the hospital to know where to turn."

Twenty-five students participated in Aprendemos Juntos: We Learn Together during 2006, with each student starting at a different level of English language comprehension. One student had only been in the country 17 days when he started classes, and another student had never had any kind of formal education. Since starting the program, 83% of students have shown improvement. Some students have gone on to other area ESL programs, including those offered by Kankakee Community College.

"Learning English will help our students communicate better within their community, which can lead to better jobs and better interaction with their own children and other family members," says Sr. Loretta. "The added component of using health literacy to teach the language can lead to better communication with their doctors, which can lead to better healthcare for our students and their
families."

Many of the students echo Sr. Loretta's sentiments. Eliseo shares, "My son, who is five years old, is always asking me to read him stories. The English classes are helping me to do this." Another student, Marabella, shares, "I want to get my GED and a better job because I need money for surgery. Knowing English will help to communicate with my doctors and nurses when I am in the
hospital."

Meeting the specific communication needs of the growing Hispanic community in Kankakee County while sharing ways to stay healthy and obtain care in the event of an emergency differentiates Aprendemos Juntos: We Learn Together from other area ESL programs. Sr. Loretta concludes, "And serving others is what we're called to do."

View Provena St. Mary's Hospital's 2006  fact sheet (PDF).

Read the entire Provena Health  2006 Community Benefit Annual Report .