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North shore caters to Hispanic boom

Agencies, businesses bridge language gap

Sunday, December 03, 2006
By Bruce Hamilton
St. Tammany bureau

When the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was recently blanketed in fog, a printed sign posted near the bridge's Mandeville entrance told motorists "encienda faros" -- or "turn on lights."

At the admissions desk at NorthShore Regional Medical Center in Slidell, a Spanish phrase book is at the ready to help medical workers obtain key information -- name, address, where it hurts -- from patients who don't speak English. It contains phonetic translations of sentences such as, "Tell me again but speak slowly."

In hospital emergency rooms, signs on the wall describe "derechos y responsibilidades de los pacientes," patients' rights and responsibilities.

Spanish is, increasingly, a sign of the post-Katrina times in St. Tammany Parish. Although the parish historically has had a very small Hispanic population, various businesses and agencies -- including hospitals, churches and police departments -- are increasingly accommodating Spanish-speaking people.

The 2000 Census showed only 2.48 percent of St. Tammany Parish's population classified as Hispanic, and a recent demographics report based on pre-Katrina estimates indicated the proportion increased to 3.12 percent.

While there are no figures available on the parish's current Hispanic population, many local officials and business owners say they have seen a spike, which they attribute to an employment boom in construction and other hurricane-recovery jobs that have attracted migrant workers.


School numbers grow

The number of Spanish-speaking students enrolled in the St. Tammany Parish school system has nearly doubled in the past year, a shift that school officials attribute largely to the hurricane.

Before Katrina, the district had 237 Spanish-speaking students who took part in the Limited English Proficiency program, a federally funded initiative targeting children with limited English skills, said Margo Guilott, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

As of Thursday, officials counted 437 Spanish speakers enrolled in the program, she said. Spanish students now make up nearly two-thirds of the district's non-English-speaking students, whereas before the storm, they accounted for about half.

"They're scattered all over the parish, but a lot are in Slidell, believe it or not," Guilott said. To accommodate the influx, the school system has hired extra English-as-a-second-language tutors, using additional federal financing received this year.

Causeway Police Chief Felix Loicano said his agency is training two officers in rudimentary Spanish to communicate better with drivers. "We, like pretty much any other government agency or business, are dealing with more Hispanic people," he said, noting that many of them don't speak English.

The bridge authority doesn't have many signs in Spanish, he said, but it is developing others. Officers are learning phrases such as "turn around," "low beams on" and "no one in back of the pickup truck," he said.


Learning the language

In May, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office sent two officers to a Spanish immersion course in Indianapolis geared toward law enforcement. After the first day of the intensive 110-hour course, students were not allowed to speak English.

One of the officers, Detective Lewis Sanders, said he took four years of Spanish in high school, which made it easier for him to learn.

"We're just inundated with it, with Spanish-speaking-only residents moving into the area," he said. "It's becoming an everyday occurrence where you need to translate for somebody."

Language barriers are a routine hurdle during traffic stops, according to Sanders, but he said he has enjoyed using his Spanish to help people.

A few weeks ago, a woman who needed to file an eviction notice came to his office but she didn't speak English. Sanders said the woman was frustrated. "You could see the look on her face -- she was really excited that somebody knew a little bit and was trying to help her out," he said. The detective talked her through the paperwork process and sent her to court.

Sanders noted emergency services -- firefighters and rescue personnel -- are also trying to cope with Spanish-speaking residents.

The judicial system also is making adjustments. Rick Wood, spokesman for the St. Tammany Parish district attorney's office, said translators are more common in court sessions now. Prosecutors often ask defendants whether they speak English.

"Prior to Katrina, I don't think I ever heard that question asked," he said. "It's a common thing now."


Business, churches respond

Entrepreneurs such as Vicky Montes saw opportunity in the rapidly growing Hispanic population. She opened the variety store Variedades Montes in Slidell in June.

"We had the idea for the store before Katrina but we didn't see a big Latin community like there is in Kenner," said Montes, a Colombia native who moved to Slidell from Metairie about three years ago.

"We try to provide as many services as we can because they need it," she said. The store offers groceries as well as fax service and Internet access; a flier on the window advertises taxi service to Houston, Atlanta and elsewhere. Montes said she plans to bring in a notary.

Various churches offer assistance to Hispanic people through outreach and other programs. St. Mary Margaret Catholic Church in Slidell has had a Hispanic ministry for 20 years, according to Deacon Carlos Ramirez.

Ramirez said his congregation has tripled since Katrina, from about 50 to 150. The ministry celebrates a Spanish Mass on Saturdays at 6:30 p.m., and it is planning to expand to Lacombe. Ramirez said St. Tammany has been very hospitable to the growing Hispanic population.

"They have opened their arms and their hearts and their pockets," he said. "They have always been very open." The welcoming attitude he found within the church, the deacon said, extends throughout the parish, in his experience.

Calvary Baptist Church in Slidell also sponsors a Hispanic mission; Pastor Francisco Saavedra said the church held its first Spanish-language service in 1991. His congregation comprised about 44 people before Katrina, he said, and now it's about 60.

Saavedra, a native of El Salvador who was trained as an electrical engineer, also helps the recovery effort through his job as a painter. He said his Hispanic congregants have a variety of needs, primarily emotional support but also practical assistance. The pastor wants to establish a separate church for his Hispanic congregants that he said would be the first Spanish church in Slidell.


Filling a niche

Like Montes' variety store, businesses have responded to the growing ethnic market. Pharmacist Jose Yanez, a Mandeville resident who was born in Cuba, knew several Hispanic doctors but he didn't know any Hispanic pharmacists. "I said, 'That's a niche I need to fill,' " he said.

In June, Yanez opened Family Drug Mart in Slidell. He printed fliers advertising "quick, courteous service" and added a key line, "se habla Espanol" (Spanish spoken). He distributed the fliers to Hispanic doctors, hoping for referrals. At least once a day now, Yanez said, he gets a Spanish-speaking customer.

"It's been really refreshing," he said. "I try to reach out to people who need the most help -- the elderly, children."

Health care is very different in Latin America, Yanez said, and he enjoys being able to assist customers who are accustomed to seeking advice from a pharmacist. "It's rewarding whenever you can help somebody," he said.

Walgreens tries to hire bilingual employees, whose language abilities are typically advertised on their badges. Corporate spokesman Michael Polzin said the chain hires workers who speak several languages, including Russian and Vietnamese, to aid customer service.

"Our store employees reflect the community where the store is located," he said. "It's natural that in areas where there's a higher Hispanic population, we would have more Hispanic employees and bilingual employees." In St. Tammany, he said, Walgreens has many openings and its stores are getting more minority applicants.

Other chains are hiring Spanish-speaking employees, putting "bienvenidos" signs on the door and featuring ethnic foods. Race Trac gas stations sell an assortment of Hispanic-oriented products: rabanadas de mango, habas con chile y limon, japones con chile.

Local patrons don't seem to lack an appetite for spicy cuisine, either -- the owner of Slidell's popular Los Tres Amigos is opening another restaurant nearby, El Palmar.