Even when the world around them isn’t in the middle of a pandemic, Melissa Villarreal’s and Dania Davis’s roles with Banner Health involve more than their job titles imply.

Officially, they are medical interpreters, working at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley.

But they do more than just interpret for northern Colorado’s huge Spanish-speaking population.

They provide comfort, a calming voice for patients during some of their most worrisome times. For Davis and Villarreal, it’s not just what they say that matters; how they say it, in many cases, can be just as important. And this uncanny skill has likely never been more important than during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Sometimes the doctor leaves and we stay a little longer just for (the patient) to feel valuable,” said Davis, who is originally from Panama. “We were working as hard as we could to help them recover their health so they could go back to their loved ones. That was a big challenge, because their hearts were filled with fear and loneliness.”

Villarreal, 40, has been a medical interpreter for Banner for more than 16 years. Davis, 49, has been a medical interpreter for Banner for more than 13 years.

That comfort and confidence Villarreal and Davis strive to instill in patients has proven crucial during the pandemic.

To date, Weld County has had nearly 4,000 COVID cases and 146 deaths from those suffering from the disease, according to Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment data.

During the peak of the pandemic, Villarreal’s and Davis’s schedules were busier and more hectic than ever, as they routinely worked evenings and weekends.

Conversations Davis and Villarreal were having with patients were literally a matter of life and death.

The duo was asked to come in early and stay late. Villarreal and Davis had to wear personal protective equipment to keep themselves safe.

They also hosted family conferences over the phone, as family and visitors weren’t allowed to be with their loved ones admitted to NCMC during the peak of the pandemic. And also, because visitors weren’t allowed, Davis and Villarreal were often the primary source of support for these patients while they battled this deadly virus.

But, while others might bemoan those long hours and extra responsibilities, Villarreal and Davis held their heads high and did their jobs with pride.

“I feel like I learned a lot about myself and all the people that were here working during that time,” said Villarreal, who is originally from Monterey Bay, California. “There was just a resilience that formed. Once I was in the hospital, it was go, go, go, go. And, I was focused. I knew that I had a job to do. And, while I was here doing the job, I felt like there was something you have to find inside you to keep going.

“We knew it was important to be here.”

While devoting so much time to the physical and mental health of the patients they work with, Davis and Villarreal also have the health of themselves and their families to worry about.

During the peak of the pandemic, Villarreal had her kids stay with their dad for nine weeks, as to not risk exposing them to the disease when she came home from the hospital each night.

She often ate dinner in bed alone before falling asleep.

“Their father and I had a conversation and he said, ‘Hey, this is what I’m thinking,’ and I said, ‘You know what? I’m on the same page. That’s what we’re going to do,’” Villarreal said. “Not knowing too much about this virus, it was just scary. It was really difficult. I missed my kids very much. But, I had to remind myself that I wanted to make sure they were safe and that the people at their dad’s home, and their dad, were safe, too.”

Davis took extra safety precautions, as well. Upon getting home from work each night, she would enter her home through the backdoor. She didn’t allow her daughter or husband to touch her until she showered and properly sanitized.

It is that extra attention to detail and level of care and consideration that make Davis and Villarreal so effective in their jobs as medical interpreters.

The manner in which Villarreal and Davis interpret is a little bit different for every patient.

It’s important they understand the patient’s personality, and their culture, when forming that critical link between patient and physician.

As with all languages, they way the Spanish language is used has its own nuances from region to region.

For that reason, it becomes even more important that Davis and Villarreal take the time to get to know each patient they work with and become familiar with their personality and background.

“Years and years ago, Melissa was training me and we were working with an older lady from Mexico,” Davis said. “I was interpreting, and the lady comes and tells the doctor that her ‘delicious one’ was hurting. So, you could imagine the face that doctor made. … So, I asked (the patient), ‘Ma’am, can you touch with your finger where it hurts?’ Then, she touched her ankle bone.

“It turns out in her town, they used to call the ankle bone the ‘delicious bone.’ ”

Bobby Fernandez covers Growth and Development for the Greeley Tribune. Reach him at (970) 392-4478, by email at bfernandez@greeleytribune.com or on Twitter @BobbyDFernandez.