ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — As we commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we’re talking a look at language barriers in the healthcare system.

What You Need To Know

  • Two Asian American doctors are working to overcome language and financial barriers in Central Florida 

  • Staff at Colonial Medical Center East Orlando wrote a letter to Shally Wong, special assistant to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings

  • They believe establishing a minority focused healthcare network in Orange County is worth exploring

Asian Americans in Central Florida who are looking for medical treatment for their children have limited options when it comes to finding a doctor who speaks their native language.

Two Asian American doctors are working to overcome language and financial barriers that affect both parents and children who seek care at their pediatric practice.

At Colonial Medical Center East Orlando, the kids are the staff’s main priority.  

At the office, we find Dr. Xiao Feng Li.

She wears many hats, meeting with patients, speaking to them in English and Mandarin.

Many of the patients Li sees are young kids. She works hard to put the little ones at ease.

“When it comes to my own country or region, patients don’t speak English well, the parents. Then, I’m really able to communicate with them so I do at this stage of my career, which is the latter half of my career. I feel more if I’m able to help my community,” Li said. 

As Li completes her tasks around the office, there are barriers she’s working to break down to help her patients from China.

In particular, she’s doing the best she can to learn their medical history.

“When the time comes for a new patient, I worry. I put very heavy on past medical history. Like, 'Are you diagnosed with an allergy? Do you have family history of asthma?' They tell me, 'No, no, no.' Everything is ‘no’ with them. Then, come a month later, two months later, 'Oh my allergy,'” Li explained. 

It’s something Li says her patients are not used to talking about in the United States.

“Because the poor doctors always see 50 to 100 to 200 patients a day, which is only 2-3 minutes a patient. How do you have time to analyze, to make a diagnosis? 'Oh, your throat is red — here’s an antibiotic,” Li said.

Li moved to Orlando from the New York area in 1996 with her husband, Jim Zhao.

“I’ve been licensed since 1997. We are already in that stage of retirement, semi-retired,” Zhao said. 

They immigrated from China in the 1980s and told Spectrum News 13 they have witnessed a significant increase in both Asian residents and licensed Asian physicians in Central Florida.

“In the last couple of years, there’s a lot. Probably the whole Orlando is immigrants of people coming in,” Zhao said. 

Zhao wrote a letter to Shally Wong, special assistant to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, to say they believe establishing a minority focused health care network in Orange County is worth exploring.

“I think the local government can help to coordinate it,” Zhao said. 

Because if there’s any way to help people in need, Zhao wants to see it through.

“Those resources can be utilized, I think. We need to find a way,” Zhao said.

Spectrum News 13 reached out to the mayor’s office, and officials said they are looking forward to having these conversations in the future.