Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month with Miguel Villagra, MD, FACP, FHM

 

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Hospital Medicine Physician, Miguel Villagra, MD, FACP, FHM, offered to share his insights on both leadership within the Hispanic community and cultural competency in healthcare. Dr. Villagra has been with USACS since 2018, beginning with a legacy group, and is a dedicated Hospitalist at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center in Carson City, NV. He is a native of Managua, Nicaragua and came to the United States for his Internal Medicine training in 2009.

 

In his local patient community, where 30% of the population is Hispanic, Dr. Villagra has become a fierce advocate for his fellow community members, taking action by sitting on the board of directors for the Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare system and electing to become a member of the Hispanic Medical Association. As for the USACS community, Dr. Villagra serves as the leader of our La Familia Employee Resource Group and is a member of the West Division National Clinical Governance Board.

 

Dr. Villagra’s complete thoughts on Latino leadership and cultural competency are explained in the video above. The key takeaways include:

 

Latino Leadership

 

1. Lead through trust—it’s important to make personal, deep connections to build lasting relationships. Leaders aim to honor the names, stories, and dignity of those they both lead and serve to earn credibility.

 

2. La Familia—the power of we/us, not just me. Leaders make decisions for the common good, offer transparency, and give credit when it’s due.

 

3. Juntos (together)—collective action or togetherness. Leadership is a team sport! Open the door for others to flourish and succeed.

 

4. Lead with Corazón (heart)—work together, lift each other up. Leadership is about heart and connection.

 

5. Conciencia and destina (purpose/alignment and destiny)—know who you are and what you stand for. Align your purpose with the moments in front of you. Our influence isn’t accidental, its engineered.

 

Cultural Competence

Culturally competent care can be viewed as a trust contract between the Physician or APP and the patient. More so, cultural competency is about being culturally intelligent and not just checking a box. Here are a few ways to help enhance your own cultural competency.

 

1. Focus on personalismo—personal care tailored with respect. By building trust, through providing dignity and embracing storytelling, the patient is more likely to feel seen and heard, which opens the door for them to share their truth.

 

2. Acknowledge your preconceived assumptions and think, what would matter most to me and my family if I were the patient today? When you take the time to understand the complexity and nuance of a patient’s cultural background, it can help you guide the patient and their family through the care plan, tailoring it to their unique needs.

 

3. Increase safety through language access. Close the gap of language barriers by talking in the patient’s native language, when possible, or by using tools/resources available. Tailor the message to the health literacy of the patient—meet them where they are so they can best understand. Family involvement and high context communication help significantly.

 

4. Allow the family to partake in shared decision making. Care lives in the context and invites family voices to be heard. In doing so, it allows for plans to be made that the patient and family can actually follow. As a quick rule of thumb, follow the CARE model:

 

C—communicate. Communicate in the patient’s preferred language, if you can, and understand their health literacy.

 

A—ask. Ask what matters most and relay it back to the patient. Confirm you’re gathering all the information you need and ensure your message is being conveyed accurately.

 

R—respect. Respect their rituals and customs. Approach managing these differences using curiosity instead of judgement.

 

E—enable. Enable them to follow through with the care plan provided. Use teach-back techniques to confirm their understanding.

 

Dr. Villagra leaves us with his closing thoughts: “Ultimately, Latino leadership and cultural competency are about lifting voices, building trust, and providing safe care. Always lead with heart and embrace your purpose to make a lasting impact on healthcare.”