Why More Doctors Should Speak Spanish: NHMA 2025 Conference Tackles Language Gaps in Health Care

NHMA’s 2025 Conference (June 5–7) spotlights the need for more Spanish-speaking doctors to improve care, trust, and outcomes for Latino patients.

ANAHEIM, CA, UNITED STATES, June 2, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- With over 1.9 million Californians preferring to receive medical care in Spanish, the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) is emphasizing the need for more bilingual doctors at its 28th Annual Conference, taking place June 5–7 in Anaheim.

Language barriers in health care contribute to misdiagnoses, delayed treatments and poor outcomes. The NHMA conference will bring together hundreds of Latino medical professionals, policymakers and public health advocates to address how language-concordant care improves patient safety, builds trust and reduces disparities.

According to the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), more than 11% of patients in licensed hospitals and outpatient clinics preferred to receive care in Spanish. An additional 2.6% preferred a language other than English or Spanish.

The conference will also explore workforce development, culturally responsive care and policy recommendations to expand language access in clinical settings. Featured participants include former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and California Surgeon General Dr. Diana Ramos.

WHO: National Hispanic Medical Association, with speakers including Xavier Becerra and Dr. Diana Ramos
WHAT: 28th Annual NHMA Conference on Latino health equity and language access
WHEN: June 5–7, 2025
WHERE: Anaheim Marriott, Anaheim, California

To request media credentials or interviews with speakers, contact Bethany Portillo at bportillo@nhmamd.org . For more information, visit www.nhmaconference.org.

Fernanda Durand
National Hispanic Medical Association
fdurand@nhmamd.org
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