According to the 2020 Census, Hispanic/Latinx Minnesotans comprise approximately 345,640 or 6.1% of the state’s population. Of this number, 61% speak Spanish exclusively at home. More than simply a daily challenge, language barriers for ESL Minnesotans can be life threatening, especially in medical settings. Enter Johanna Díaz Torres and Elizabeth Quillo, co-founders of VIDA: Vital Interpreting Delivering Access, a Long Prairie, Minn.-based company whose mission is “…to empower and equip the Latin@ community and create equity in wellness through language services and increased access to resources.”

In this episode, host Anthony Gardner talks with Ms. Díaz Torres, a Spanish language medical interpreter and member of the MN Department of Health roster, and Ms. Quillo, a national-level certified medical interpreter for Spanish and nutrition educator at the University of Minnesota. Their shared commitment to connecting people through language to resources for wellness serves as the foundation for VIDA. Their medical interpretation services for non- or limited-English speakers, coupled with their lived experiences -- Díaz Torres is a native Puerto Rican and Quillo is from Ecuador – helps to ensure equity in health and wellness for clients in Long Prairie, Sauk Centre, and greater St. Cloud area.