The expression “culture shock” can most definitely be felt by someone coming to the US from Mexico (or pretty much any other country). Add to it the language barrier, and other factors, and the shock is intensified significantly.
My grandmother came from a small village in Mexico with a population of less than 500 people. The mode of transportation was by donkey or horseback. Now she was in Sacramento with a population of thousands and there were cars everywhere.
With very little money and no medical insurance, the last thing she needed was an illness requiring medical care. Well, sure enough, intense abdominal pain required medical evaluation. I, at 8 years old, went as her interpreter.
I had three years of English under my belt, I spoke the most English in my family. I recall being very nervous and scared, maybe even more so than my grandmother.
The above is not what you want, way too much stress. At SLC steps have been taken to minimize stress and anxiety. We have bicultural/bilingual staff. We use telephonic medical translation services for all languages. All services are free and we have a strong referral service in place. The staff and the clinic are “user friendly”.
I would encourage anyone dealing with pregnancy and related issues to visit SLC, the no stress no anxiety clinic.
Dr. Victor Nava
Retired Surgeon
Sacramento Life Center, Patient Advocate Volunteer
(I am the checkered shirt, top row, far right)