It’s Hispanic Heritage Month! Each week, we’ll be recognizing the contributions of Hispanic members of our team to the health of the communities we serve and listening as they share how they celebrate their culture.
Today, we are highlighting sisters Sandra and Solangie! Sandra is the Practice Manager of NHFHS’ Travelers Rest office and Solangie is a Clinical Support Specialist at our Mallard site.
What does your Hispanic heritage mean to you?
Our Hispanic heritage means cleaning house on Saturday morning to salsa music, eating mom’s homemade frijoles and chicharrón, speaking Spanglish and knowing that we will always call two countries home. It means that we take pride in who we are, love our family and are grateful for what we have and where we are.
What are your favorite Hispanic cultural traditions?
All of December including the Day of the Candles on December 8 and opening our Christmas gifts at midnight on Christmas Eve. For New Year’s Eve, we have many traditions — one of the best is eating twelve grapes, one for each month of the upcoming year. As you eat a grape, you make a wish for that month!
What do you enjoy most about your role at NHFHS?
Both Sandra and Solangie agree that providing patient-centered care is what they enjoy most about working at NHFHS. “Being able to make a difference through interaction with patients is an important part of my day,” says Sandra. Solangie adds, “I like speaking to patients on the phone and knowing that I was able to help them.”
Today, we are highlighting Laura Cabanas! Laura is a Dental Assistant at New Horizon Family Dental Care.
What does your Hispanic heritage mean to you?
My Hispanic heritage means everything to me. It just reminds me of my roots and where I come from. It makes me feel proud to be part of a beautiful community and an amazing background.
What are your favorite Hispanic cultural traditions?
My favorite traditions are Las Posadas and Dia de los Muertos. Las Posadas starts at dusk on December 16 and is celebrated the nine nights leading up to Christmas Day. Dia de los Muertos is held in November and is a day of celebration to remember friends and family members who have passed away.
What do you enjoy most about your role at New Horizon Family Dental Care?
I most enjoy being able to help patients. I know that a lot of people are terrified of going to the dentist so being one of the first people they see or meet once they come to the clinical side of the office is a very important role. I get to reassure them that everything is going to be alright.
Today we are highlighting Mr. Francisco Rojo, FNP! Mr. Rojo is a provider in our Greer office.
What does your Hispanic heritage mean to you?
Spanish heritage to me means family, good food, remembrance of the old times, taking care of each other and coming back to the roots.
What are your favorite Hispanic cultural traditions?
Before Christmas, we have the pesebre, the manger, that we build at home and then we celebrate novenas, where we celebrate a little something every day in the nine days leading up to the birth of baby Jesus on December 24th. Every day we sing songs and read a passage from the Bible.
What do you enjoy most about your role at NHFHS?
My favorite thing about being a provider here is interacting with people of all ages, sharing their stories and learning about them not just from the health perspective, but learning about who they are and what they do and their struggles. I really go far and beyond helping with health issues, at times we usually just talk and share things, that’s the beautiful part of this thing called “health care provider.”