Summary Bilingual staff is used to provide interpreter services in community health centers. Little is known about the language proficiency of dual-role staff interpreters. Golden Valley Health Centers implemented a formal language assessment program to improve the number of qualified dual-role staff interpreters and ultimately improve the quality of patient care.

Background Many U.S. Latinos migrate or travel between the U.S. and Mexico on a regular basis, defined as circular migration. Methods Latinos with diabetes (n=250) were surveyed about circular migration and their ability to use medications and perform recommended diabetes self-care activities. A review of medical charts was performed. Results Twenty-eight percent (n=70) of patients traveled to Mexico during the last 12 months. Older Latinos were more likely to report traveling to Mexico and back into the US. Among those that traveled, 29% reported use of less medication than they wanted to or were prescribed because of travel and 20% ran out of medications. The rate of reported problem areas while traveling were 39% (27/70) for following a diabetic diet, 31% (21/70) for taking medication, and 37% (26/70) for glucose self-monitoring Conclusions The results suggest that the structure of primary care and care coordination are important for this population to fully engage in diabetes self-care.

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