The nation's physicians must now concern themselves not only with their patients' health, but also with their patients' "language access."
Qualified interpreters must be provided by the healthcare provider for patients who are deaf/hard of hearing and for those who do not speak English. That's the point of a new YouTube video produced by the Health and Human Services Department and The Joint Commission, an independent group that sets health care standards.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs that receive federal funds. Therefore, failure to provide language access services for Limited English Proficient persons may be a form of discrimination on the basis of national origin, the Web site says.
Similarly, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which protects the rights of individuals with disabilities, requires health care organizations that receive federal funds to provide effective communication (such as sign language interpreters) for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires health care organizations to meet the same standards, regardless of whether the health care group receives federal funds.
HHS and The Joint Commission say they do not endorse one mode of interpreting over another. But they do note that interpreters must be accessible and effective in meeting the needs of patients and their families -- and they say the obligation to determine whether an interpreter is effective falls on health care providers.
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2 comments:
I love the cryptic message in this. Clearly if this was about deaf/hard of hearing patients you would not care. But stop the nonsense...you printed this because you think that some spanish speaking person is going to need an interpreter. And this report will provoke more ethnic slurs.
Believe it or not, there are people in this country, who are citizens or green card holders, who do not speak english proficiently. So, if they get sick then doctors shouldn't have the ability to discuss their illness or answer questions? My parents are from Russia, are legal citizens of this country and lived in NYC surrounded by Russians, speaking only Russian. They can communicate in English at a basic level, but when they are sick and I can't be there it is a relief to have interpreters available.
My German grandfather emigrated to America legally not speaking any English, but learned on his own without interpreters or special ESOL classes. He read comic books and newspapers becoming fluent and an affluent businessman.
Anyone can learn if they desire. Shame on you for not assisting your parents. Obviously you are an adult and had twenty plus years to converse with them in English.
Stop expecting the government to provide all your needs. Remember Katrina's unfortunate souls in N.O. that expected Mayor Nagel to plan exvacuations. Those school buses sat in the flood waters without drivers. That's government and your nanny state.
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