South Bay health officials celebrate contributions of Hispanic physicians while pointing out shortage

Santa Clara Valley Healthcare says the industry is facing a critical shortage of Latine physicians nationwide and locally in California.

Officials said the Latine community represents nearly 20% of the country’s population, whereas Latine physicians make up just less than 7%.

That is why health leaders in Santa Clara gathered together to celebrate the work of Latine physicians and nurses, while also pushing for the next generation to join the industry. Santa Clara Valley Healthcare hosted a celebration for its community on Wednesday, ahead of the National Latino Physicians Day on October 1.

For Leo Gonzalez Ordaz, it all comes down to helping those in need.

“We’re here to help out whoever walks in through those doors, whatever they need, we are there to help them out,” San Jose State pre-med student Gonzalez Ordaz told CBS News Bay Area.

He said he aspires to be a physician, and spends his time volunteering at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

“I escort patients and visitors to their desired rooms or where they need to go departments. I assist with the screener’s desk too, check in patients and visitors,” Gonzalez Ordaz said.

His parents, who immigrated from Mexico to Sunnyvale, wanted a better life for their children. His father is a landscaper, and his mother is a housekeeper.

“He’s working so hard, every day at school. I can see the struggles, and just being there to support is the best,” his mother, Marisol Ordaz, told CBS News Bay Area.

He and his family have also been noticing a dire trend: a critical shortage of Latine physicians.

According to a UCLA study released last year, the Latine community makes up about 39% of California’s population. And physicians of that demographic only make up about 6%.

“It’s much more efficient to provide language in cultural proficient service,” Sylvia Arenas, supervisor of Santa Clara County, said.

“Medicine is for you. It’s a path where you can truly make a difference we need. We need more Latine doctors, doctors who understand our communities, our culture, our challenges, and can bring that understanding into healthcare,” Dr. Manny Gonzales, primary care pediatrician at Santa Clara Valley Healthcare, said.

As for Gonzalez Ordaz, he is even more inspired to help bridge that language gap.

“He has the ability to help people when they arrive, because they don’t understand English that much. So, he came home and told me about it and some people, so nice, gave a blessing to my son and say thank you so much,” Ordaz said.

Gonzalez Ordaz’s parents see him as their inspiration, meanwhile he said it’s all thanks to his mom and dad that is exactly where he needs to be.

“Their struggle really inspired me. Their journey throughout Mexico to here, working up to where they are now. It just really makes me, inspires me to be a better person,” Gonzalez Ordaz said.