SANTA MARIA, CA — A new health clinic in Santa Maria is aiming to make health care more accessible by reducing wait times, offering multilingual services and welcoming both insured and uninsured patients.
Unidad Medica Santa Maria Valley is now open and accepting walk-in patients and scheduled appointments. The clinic plans to offer services in English, Spanish, Mixteco, and Tagalog.
The opening comes as some Northern Santa Barbara County residents continue to face barriers when trying to access health care.
Santa Barbara County Deputy Director Lindsey Walter said in an email that recruiting health care staff has been competitive for years. While the county's current physician needs at its clinics are being met, officials are still seeking nurses and medical assistants.
According to the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment, there are more than 500 health and health-related nonprofits in Santa Barbara County. However, Walter said many Santa Maria residents continue to face barriers to care, including limited access to providers, cost and transportation.
Dr. Paul Christensen with Unidad Medica Santa Maria Valley said the clinic hopes to simplify the process for patients.
"There’s a lot of hurdles out there, and we’re trying to eliminate that," Christensen said. "Making it a simple practice, easy to get in and easy to get out, and we’re able to take care of a lot of different problems."
For Santa Maria resident Rutilia Barrera, getting an appointment can sometimes depend on how busy a clinic is.
"They always do their best. If there's an appointment available, they'll see us quickly," Barrera said. "But when they're really busy, it can take about a month."
Wait times are not the only challenge some residents face.
Santa Maria resident Juan Garcia said language barriers can make it difficult to communicate with health care providers.
"Yes, it's a little difficult," Garcia said. "Sometimes we don't understand what they're saying, so we have to ask them to repeat it."
Walter said North County communities face greater barriers to health care, particularly within Indigenous, Latino and migrant communities.
She said limited access to timely interpretation services can prevent people from receiving health care and other basic services, adding that there is a growing need for interpreters throughout the county.
The new clinic hopes its multilingual staff can help bridge some of those gaps.
Family nurse practitioner Christian Mendoza said having a staff member who speaks Mixteco allows the clinic to better serve part of Santa Maria's Indigenous population.
"My staff, luckily, we have someone that speaks Mixteco, and I feel like we are able to take care of those 70% of the population that we have here in Santa Maria," Mendoza said.
Unidad Medica Santa Maria Valley is now open and accepting walk-in patients and scheduled appointments. A grand opening is planned for mid-September.
