Language and Ethnic Groups

Re “Wellness Community Targets Latino Patients,” Oct. 26.

Nice story about the Wellness Center. And kudos to the Wellness Center for waking up to the 20th century on including Spanish-speaking access.

However, the headline shouldn’t have had the word “Latino.” Instead it should have been “Spanish speakers.” People forget--or never bother to think about it--that not all Latinos are Spanish speakers, including myself.

But the fat of the matter is this: It seems to me the words “Spanish speaker” and “Latino” are interchangeable in The Times.

It’s the same as saying the Wellness Center is reaching out to Irish Americans when in fact they are adding Gaelic-speaking employees. Or the Wellness Center is reaching out to Italian Americans when in fact they are adding Italian-speaking employees. All of those would be great, especially in the city of Los Angeles. But they focus on a specific non-English speaker, not a specific ethnic group itself.

PATRICK J. RODRIGUEZ

Calabasas