Noelia Figueroa
Research Mentor: Paul Fleming
Mentor Department: Health Behavior & Health Equity, Public Health
Author(s): Noelia Figueroa, Hannah Mesa, Paul Fleming
Session: Session 2 (10:00 AM – 10:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 63
Abstract
The Partnership to Advance Latina Maternal Access (PALMA) project is a community-centered initiative aimed at improving maternal and infant health outcomes in Southwest Detroit by addressing structural barriers within maternal health care systems. Grounded in principles of equity and community partnership, PALMA centers the perspectives and lived experiences of Latine families in the development of interventions designed to improve access to care, communication, and patient experience. A community steering committee composed of patients and local community members provides ongoing guidance to ensure that project activities remain responsive to community priorities. PALMA is a collaboration between the University of Michigan School of Public Health, CHASS Center, and Henry Ford Health. To better understand barriers experienced by Latina patients receiving prenatal care at CHASS and delivering at Henry Ford hospitals, the project analyzed multiple sources of data, including electronic medical records from 2020 to 2023, interviews with clinical and administrative staff, and surveys and interviews with Latina patients conducted between 2023 and 2025. Findings highlight persistent gaps in language access during maternity care. Electronic medical record data show that despite 75% of patients identifying Spanish as their primary language, interpreter services were documented in only 67% of births, indicating that a significant proportion of Spanish-speaking patients may have delivered without formal language support. Patient survey data revealed a similar pattern. 88% of respondents reported speaking Spanish or relying on an interpreter during health care visits, but only 75% reported having interpreter support during their most recent birth. Qualitative interviews with both patients and staff further contextualized these gaps. Participants described several barriers to effective interpretation services, including difficulty accessing virtual interpreters, limited staff familiarity with interpreter request processes, concerns about the quality of remote interpretation, and the absence of interpreters during urgent clinical interventions such as emergency cesarean sections.
