Local News
Native American WSU student looking to help overcome language barrier
OGDEN — While working on her clinical hours at the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, New Mexico, Kendra Ellison noticed a disturbing trend. More and more elderly patients in the Navajo population were becoming scared, frustrated and withdrawn because of the language barrier between themselves and health care givers. “There aren’t a lot of people who speak the Navajo language fluently and I noticed a majority of the patients were getting to be a little hesitant and very nervous because of the communication gap," she said. Ellison, who originally wanted to become a nurse, ...
