(KWTX) – A local hospital executive who was born in Nicaragua and trained in rural Mexico says Hispanic Heritage month is a great time to remind the Latino community of the impact they’re making today and stand to in the future of healthcare.
Dr. Alejandro Arroliga is the current Chief Clinical Innovation Officer and Chief Academic Officer for Baylor Scott & White, overseeing a hospital network that accounts for nearly 25% of the state of Texas’ doctors.
He says his key to success has been education.
“It is important for our communities to realize that the pathway for improvement goes through education and that’s why I have been involved in my particular case, medical education, my whole life,” Arroliga said. “I think this is an opportunity to touch the life of people. We have been very engaged in doing that for several decades.”
Dr. Arroliga was born in Managua, Nicaragua and studied medicine at Universidad Veracruzana in the Southeastern part of Mexico.
It was during his clinical rotation in rural Mexico, he says he formed a foundation of how to connect with patients as people on a personal level.
“Eventually in the mid 1980′s, I came to the United States,” he said.
Arroliga completed his residency in Brooklyn, N.Y., and fellowship at Yale University School of Medicine in Connecticut.
“After that I worked at the Cleveland Clinic for almost 14 years,” he said. “I was director of the medical intensive care unit, professor of medicine of their medical school so in education and taking care of patients.”
The doctor’s next stop was Scott & White in Temple where he’s been since 2006.
“Because of the weather,” he smiled.
As Chief Clinical Innovation Officer today, Dr. Arroliga is focused on creating easy and convenient ways for people to access healthcare whether that be online or in person.
“Accessibility to the healthcare system is something we should aspire for everybody in this country,” Arroliga said. “We have been lucky to work for Baylor Scott and White and for our geographical location we are able to work with a significant population in Texas.”
In his role as Chief Academic Officer, Arroliga is the regional dean of the Baylor College of Medicine’s regional campus in Temple overseeing a system which accounts for 9,500 doctors of the state’s 40,000, he says.
That’s in addition to 700 students, 1,000 residents and thousands of other nurses and healthcare providers.
But Texas is facing a physician shortage, he says, of 8% by 2030 and he’s hoping the Latino population in Texas will step up to help bridge the gap.
“Don’t forget that we still need nurses, nurses’ assistants, clinical physiologists, social workers so there is a whole group of professionals that are extremely Important to provide care for our communities and being a significant minority in the state of Texas, I think it’s our job, our duty to talk about this,” Arroliga says. “To talk about education and to encourage our young people to participate in education and activities to be able to achieves these goals.”
“As a community, the Hispanic community, the Latino community, we see a major opportunity to participate in not only the education and activities but to learn as well different professions in the healthcare system.”
Dr. Arroliga also served as the hospital system’s Chief Medical Officer from 2018 through the pandemic and until 2022 when he took on his latest role.
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