About Prickly Pear Family Medicine

Since I was a child, I’ve been bridging the healthcare gap in Houston since  elementary school when I was enlisted to translate for my parents during medical appointments.  Throughout their experiences with healthcare, my parents struggled to find culturally competent doctors that were able to communicate in Spanish.  I saw the devastating effects on my family when medical providers didn’t view healthcare through the same cultural lens as my parents. This resulted in inappropriate care transitions, diagnostic errors and missed care opportunities. It was during these moments that I decided to pursue a career in medicine so that I could help people like my parents- the families that struggle through the healthcare system.

Only 2% of all doctors are Latina. A fact that didn't hit home for me until I was sitting in orientation at Baylor Medical School.  Up to that point, my education had been in schools that were known for diversity - University of Houston and Debakey High School for Health Professions. The lack of diversity among my medical school peers was startling, and I realized it was a major contributor to why communities of color have problems accessing culturally competent physicians.

After medical school, I knew addressing care gaps and improving the patient experience for underserved communities was my passion.  I chose Baylor's Family Medicine program for residency because it focused on the underserved in Houston. During my third year, I was chosen as chief resident to provide support for the program and mentor to other physician residents.

It was during residency that I was finally able to make my dream of being a trusted confidant for families a reality. Rotating through hospitals in the Texas Medical Center and clinics within Houston allowed me to build doctor-patient-family relationships across a variety of clinical settings.  I quickly found that the favorite part of my job was being a patient advocate.  I was able to use my language skills in Spanish and knowledge of the Houston community to advocate for patients during complicated medical decisions.

In this setting, I realized that spending a few minutes with each patient wasn't enough time to properly explain the causes, contexts and implications of illness and disease management.  It became obvious the healthcare system was not setup to educate people with varying levels of understanding about their health. This was unacceptable because health literacy affects all areas of health and disproportionally impacts minority communities.

After residency, I worked in the Harris Health System providing primary care to residents of Harris County for three years before heading to Jackson County Hospital District to become the Emergency Room Director. As an ER doctor, I’ve learned how to handle any medical crisis that comes through a hospital's doors. Being in the ER doesn’t allow me to build the type of long term relationships with patients I cherish, but helping families through life-threatening circumstances has allowed me to create strong connections with them during their times of uncertainty.

With a strong background in primary care and emergency medicine, I decided it was time to leave behind the constraints of the conventional health system and open my own practice where I could work directly patients to provide the care they deserve without the red tape.  In the midst of 24 hour shifts during the pandemic, Prickly Pear Family Medicine was born.