When there is an emergency call, Verónica and Enzo Jofre are ready to help in both English and Spanish.
“Not all crews speak Spanish or another language, so being able to help the crew in another way that I feel comfortable and confident in is just a plus,” said Enzo Jofre, AMR EMT trainee.
The brothers were born in Argentina and came to Connecticut, like many Hispanic families, in search of a better education and job opportunities.
They recently graduated from a 10-week program called “Earn While You Learn” run by American Medical Response.
Veronica and Enzo are paramedics in training while waiting to take the National Registry exam, the siblings entered the field to help people like their parents, who are mostly Spanish-speaking.
“So if my mom had an accident, God forbid, I want my mom to be able to speak to her in Spanish. I want to be that person for the parents of another child. For someone’s grandmother or something, just to help the Hispanic community,” Verónica said.
According to the latest data from the United States Census Bureau, more than 30% of New Haven’s population is Hispanic.
AMR operations manager Mike Turcio said the company is mindful of population growth. About 50% of AMR’s EMT calls respond to a need for someone who can translate, according to Turcio.
During last week’s graduation ceremony, 19 new students graduated from the program, 14 of them are people of color and several are bilingual.
“There is a need, there is a need out there, and for our providers to be able to go into someone’s home during their time of crisis or emergency and just be able to establish a sense of trust, understand their language, could really help us not just win their confidence but also to improve our level of customer service,” said Turcio.
Verónica and Enzo take their new roles very seriously. They know that when a patient finds himself in an emergency, a matter of seconds can make all the difference in getting him the help he needs.
“The seconds are being delayed by the language barrier. So being there and being able to speak Spanish to the patient and translate it to the team is honestly speeding up the process or helping the patient faster,” Enzo said.
