Key facts
- Casa de Salud's apprentice program trains bilingual students to provide culturally grounded care.
- The program aims to increase representation of lower-wealth and under-represented individuals in healthcare.
- Latinos make up 20% of the US population but only 6% of the physician workforce.
- New Mexico faces a healthcare workforce shortage in 32 of its 33 counties.
- The program provides training in harm reduction, EKG, and other clinical skills.
- Alumni have pursued careers as registered nurses, physician assistants, and nurse anesthetists.
Casa de Salud in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is addressing a critical shortage of bilingual healthcare workers through its year-long apprentice program. Founded in 2004 by promotoras traditional healers, the clinic aims to provide culturally grounded care by training individuals from marginalized backgrounds to serve their own communities. The program has trained over 300 students since 2005, with at least a third entering healthcare fields. Latinos, who constitute 20% of the US population, represent only about 6% of the physician workforce, and many areas in New Mexico face severe healthcare shortages.