Care Culture Talks
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Care Culture Talks

Hosted by Eyal Heldenberg, CEO of No Barrier

Conversations with healthcare leaders and innovators breaking language barriers in care delivery.

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Dr. Gezzer Ortega

Learning from Dr. Gezzer Ortega:
How to build a culture of culturally competent care.

Dr. Gezzer Ortega is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Mass General Brigham. He created a simple framework that helps medical teams give better care to patients from many different cultures. His approach teaches staff to understand patients more clearly. It also helps them communicate with confidence.
Why it matters.
When teams speak clearly across cultures, care becomes safer. It also becomes faster and more human.
🎧 Learn how Dr. Ortega led this change in his hospital.
Dr. Ortega Gezeer
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Learning from Dr. Gezzer Ortega: Building a Culture of Culturally Competent Care

Dr. Gezzer Ortega on Cultural Competency in Surgery
Dr. Gezzer Ortega, Assistant Professor of Surgery at Mass General Brigham, has developed a practical framework for integrating cultural competence into surgical practice. His work illustrates how a medical institution can train its staff to better understand and communicate with patients from diverse linguistic, social and cultural backgrounds.
Why it matters: Dr. Ortega’s approach shows that when clinical teams communicate clearly across cultures, patient care becomes safer, faster and more human.
🎧 Explore how Dr. Ortega led this cultural shift within his hospital.
dr ortega gezeer

Learning from Dr. Gezzer Ortega: Building a Culture of Culturally Competent Care

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Dr. Gezzer Ortega, Assistant Professor of Surgery at Mass General Brigham, has developed a practical framework for integrating cultural competence into surgical practice. His work illustrates how a medical institution can train its staff to better understand and communicate with patients from diverse linguistic, social and cultural backgrounds.
Why it matters: Dr. Ortega’s approach shows that when clinical teams communicate clearly across cultures, patient care becomes safer, faster and more human.
🎧 Explore how Dr. Ortega led this cultural shift within his hospital.

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Language Access in Community Centers: Improving Care With Medical Translation with Louis D. Simmons
Guest:
Louis D. Simmons
Host:
Eyal Heldenberg

Language Access in Community Centers: Improving Care With Medical Translation with Louis D. Simmons

In this insightful conversation, host Eyal Heldenberg speaks with Louis D. Simmons about the critical importance of language accessibility in healthcare settings, particularly in Community Health Centers. With over 15 years of healthcare leadership experience, Simmons shares valuable perspectives on how community health centers serve diverse populations and the unique challenges these centers face. The episode explores how Community Health Centers operate as essential safety net providers, delivering care to medically underserved communities through integrated service models. Simmons delves into the impact of language barriers on healthcare delivery and patient outcomes, emphasizing the importance of certified medical translators versus relying on family members for translation services. The conversation covers the evolution of interpretation technology in healthcare—from in-person translators to video and telephonic solutions—and how these advancements have improved accessibility, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Simmons provides actionable advice for healthcare leaders looking to address language barriers in their organizations, including evaluating patient demographics, developing staff capabilities, and creating advocacy positions for culturally competent care. Louis D. Simmons, a healthcare leader with extensive experience in both acute care and physician group settings, discusses how language barriers impact patient care in community health centers and shares strategies for providing culturally competent care to diverse patient populations. This episode offers valuable insights for healthcare professionals seeking to better serve diverse communities and ensure equitable access to quality healthcare regardless of language or cultural background.
Release Date:
April 30, 2025
90 min
Louis D. Simmons
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Culture Competent Care
Care equity
Compliance
2025
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Stevenson Chery
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Showcasing Stevensen’s Episode

Dr. Stevensen Chery, MD, MAT on Cultural Competency and Haitian Creole in U.S. Healthcare
Dr. Chery Stevenson

Learning from Dr. Chery Stevenson.
How to build culturally competent care for Haitian Creole speaking patients.

Dr. Stevenson is the Clinical Director of Medical Services at Broward Community & Family Health Centers Inc. He works closely with Haitian Creole speaking patients. He helps medical teams understand the culture. For many Haitian patients a visit to the doctor is sacred.
Why it matters.
Many patients face barriers because of language. Dr. Stevenson’s work helps remove those barriers. It makes care more open. more welcoming. and more clear for every family.
🎧 Explore how Dr. Stevenson brings cultural understanding into daily clinical practice.

Why language access matters

25.7 million people with LEP in the United States
Source: MACPAC USA
Millions of patients struggle to get care because of language barriers, while healthcare staff face growing stress and burnout trying to fill those gaps without enough support. Through real stories, the Care Culture Talks podcast explores both sides of this challenge and shows how human expertise and AI can come together to build more inclusive, sustainable healthcare.

Frequently Asked Questions

01. What is medical interpretation in healthcare?

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Yes. Medical interpretation is an essential part of patient care. It ensures that every patient, regardless of language, can understand their diagnosis, treatment and rights. Without it, quality care and safety are at risk.

02. Can language barriers cause medical staff burn out?

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Yes. When staff have to act as ad-hoc interpreters or repeat information through confusion, it adds emotional strain, slows care and increases burnout. Medical staff that was questioned in the Care Culture Talk for No Barrier testified they the mental charge is heavy not to be able to perform care due to language barrier. Clear communication helps protect both patients and providers.

03. How does AI assist interpreters in real-time?

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AI now supports encounters with instant, secure translations that let patients communicate naturally during care. It saves time while keeping accuracy and empathy in the conversation. Human escalation is also offered by No Barrier.

04. Is AI assist already live and tested by doctors and nurse practitioners?

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Yes. Healthcare teams are already using AI-assisted interpretation in real clinics and hospitals. See Case Study here in the Federal Community Clinic. Early adopters report faster triage, reduced stress for staff and stronger patient trust.

Ready to make every patient conversation count?

See how No Barrier supports healthcare teams.