Nursing, Patient Care Services Celebrates Hispanic HeritageBWH Nurse - For and about the Nursing Staff of Brigham and Women's HospitalNursing, Patient Care Services Celebrates Hispanic HeritageBWH Nurse - For and about the Nursing Staff of Brigham and Women's Hospital

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Nursing, Patient Care Services Celebrates Hispanic Heritage


Marta Solis, Mairead Hickey and Hilda Gallegos-Dargon

Hilda Gallegos-Dargon, BSN, RN, intuitively understands the challenges Latino patients face in managing symptoms of diabetes because of their busy lifestyles. With 35 years of nursing experience, Gallegos-Dargon often relies on detective skills to ensure her patients follow their diets and take their medications as prescribed.

“Sometimes, I call the pharmacy to make sure a patient has filled his or her prescription,” Gallegos-Dargon, said.

Gallegos-Dargon and Spanish Interpreter Marta Solis this month were the first recipients of two new awards established by Patient Care Services and the Department of Nursing to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of staff from Hispanic and Latino backgrounds. Gallegos-Dargon and Solis, both of whom are natives of Costa Rica, were honored during the first event of its kind at BWH during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Solis was honored for her commitment to teamwork and for providing patient care service that is culturally sensitive while serving as a role model for future workforce by training and coaching the next generation of medical interpreters. Gallegos-Dargon was recognized for her commitment to delivering excellent care to a diverse patient population at Brookside Community Health Center.

“Receiving this award is an honor,” said Gallegos-Dargon. “But most important, it’s an honor to represent a small sample of what many Latinos are doing to provide excellent care to patients.”

Mairead Hickey, PhD, RN, chief nursing officer and senior vice president of Patient Care Services, pointed to the Department of Nursing vision of the best staff providing excellent care in the safest environment. “We know the best staff includes nurses and health care professionals who reflect the communities we serve and are able to improve patient outcomes by advocating for culturally-sensitive care,” she said.

Ileana Jimenez-Garcia, director of Interpreter Services, spoke about the importance of recognizing the efforts and work of Latino and Hispanic staff at BWH. “Overall, Latinos are underrepresented in health care professions, but BWH has shown a strong commitment to recruitment and recognition of Hispanics in health care workforce of all level,” she said.