This weekend, the Latino Center and Latino Medical Student Association at Wright State University (WSU) will host its monthly wellness clinic for Latinos living near Dayton, Ohio, according to WDTN News, an NBC-affiliated TV station.

The WSU program will provide free medical services in Spanish, including mental health services, blood work, gynecologists, optometrists and general wellness care.

“The reality is it can be difficult for Latino/Hispanic community members to find health care professionals who speak Spanish in our area,” said Catherine Hernandez Hogan, MEd, the assistant director of the Latino Center, in a WSU news release. “When there is a language barrier, it can lead to frustration and lack of trust with the health care system. And so it is incredibly impactful and transformational for our clinic to connect Latino community members with health care professionals who speak their heart language and understand their cultural background.”

Patient Yuly Moreno keeps up with routine checkups and preventive care thanks to the program. “The results can show you sicknesses you would not know you had,” Moreno told WDTN.

A survey conducted by Aflac Incorporated found that one in four Americans skip regular checkups because they feel healthy. What’s more, among Latino respondents, 31% indicated language as a barrier to preventive care, and 72% of Latinos avoided a wellness screening for this reason.

Additionally, language barriers can contribute to dangerous misdiagnosis, mistreatment or incorrect medication prescriptions, according to Marcelo Costa, the vice president of the Latino Medical Student Association.

“Health care gaps and socioeconomic gaps and equity—we are able to be the vessel between school and education in the community,” Costa said.

About 30 medical student volunteers operate the Latino Wellness Clinics. The group hopes to expand its monthly clinic services by offering a mobile clinic.

This month’s clinic will be held Saturday, February 24, from 9 a.m. 12 p.m. at Our Lady of the Rosary Church at 22 Notre Dame Avenue in Dayton. Click here to learn more or to volunteer. The next upcoming clinic will be held Saturday, March 23, at the same location.

To read more, click #Diversity. There, you’ll find headlines such as “Improving Clinical Trial Participation for Latino Pediatric Cancer Patients,” “Too Many Adults Neglect Wellness Appointments” and “Heart Disease and Stroke Risk Higher in Latinos.”