Grant Regional Health Center is committed to ensuring that all individuals have access to high quality health care and equal opportunities for a lifetime of good health. In 2022 we began preparations to welcome a new bilingual Family Medicine/Obstetrics provider Dr. David Casillas Plazola to our medical staff. Prior to Dr. Casillas starting in September 2022, Grant Regional focused internal efforts to become a more welcoming organization specifically to Spanish speaking patients and guests including adding wayfinding signage in Spanish, offering Spanish in the Workplace classes, improvements in translation services, and document translation.

In addition to the hospital’s internal initiative to be more inclusivity and welcoming to Spanish speaking population, a community grassroots effort began with the goal to strengthen our local workforce and highlight the important benefits of improving our community’s inclusivity and diversity efforts. 

The idea of ‘Growing Lancaster’ evolved from conversations between leaders at Amcor and Grant Regional Health Center when discussing workforce shortages and hiring issues. Further conversations led to forming a committee and inviting people interested in sparking change with the suggestion that if Lancaster businesses focused on welcoming diversity to their workforce that could increase staffing and, in turn, benefit the local economy and stimulate community growth.

Since the group organized, they have planned and held monthly meetings; added interested members; developed a name, mission statement and informational flyer; presented at City Council to communicate and educate the council members on goals and plans of the group; connected with Madison Latino Chamber of Commerce; hosted Night on the Square in July to introduce Latin culture; investigated funding opportunities and researched other communities such as Darlington to learn from their success, hosted a focus group with immigrant workers at a local dairy farm and have since responded to their input with offering ELL classes in Lancaster.

For more information or to view our Welcoming Week video, visit www.lancasterwichamber.com/growing-lancaster.