Second National
Conference on
Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations:
Strategy and Action for Communities, Providers, and a Changing Health
System
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Second National
Conference on |
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| October 11-14, 2000 |
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Wed., October 11 | Th., October 12 | Fr., October 13 | Sat., October 14 | Poster Presentations | ||||||||
1-3. Improving The Quality Of Language Assistance: Reports From The Cutting Edge In Medical InterpretationThe California Healthcare Interpreters Association (CHIA) - A Blueprint For Improving Culturally And Linguistically Appropriate Health Care Delivery In California The California HealthCare Interpreters Association's (CHIA), a membership-based non-profit organization, is committed to setting standards of excellence that ensure equal access to quality of medical care for all people by supporting the healthcare interpreting profession. Its goals and objectives focus in the following areas: 1) developing an accreditation program for California's healthcare interpreters; and 2) setting the standards of excellence that ensure equal access to quality medical care for all people. CHIA promotes the profession of healthcare interpreting through: establishing standards of practice; adopting a code of ethics; creating a certification program; sponsoring internships and scholarships; advocating for cross-cultural awareness through education of healthcare professionals; encouraging the development of advanced level training in healthcare interpretation at institutions of higher education; promoting the networking of institutions that provide interpretations services; and making recommendation on existing or new policies affecting patients with limited or no English proficiency. In November 1996 a group of interpreters and others, representing healthcare organizations throughout the state convened at Stanford University Hospital. They demonstrated interest in developing a support network and professional organization for healthcare interpreters. As a result, the group proceeded to appoint a governing board and applied to the IRS for status as a 501(C) 3 organization. CHIA was registered in May of 1998. Since its inception, CHIA has more than doubled its membership, particularly in the last fiscal year. After developing a program proposal that responded to these needs, CHIA received funding from The California Endowment in February 2000. CHIA has initiated a dialogue among its statewide membership, consisting of active professional interpreters and users of interpreter services, and similar organizations nationwide to begin to develop a method to standardize testing, develop a certification program, and create continuing education opportunities for healthcare interpreters. There are collaborative opportunities with organizations like the Massachusetts Medical Interpreters Association (MMIA), the Seattle Organization of Medical Interpreters (SOMI), and the National Council of Interpreters in Health Care (NCIHC) that will be pursued with the intent not to reinvent the wheel but to build off what has been learned to date by others and apply them to the uniqueness of our state. As a new organization, CHIA's operations have depended on volunteer support and on a modest budget, financed primarily by membership dues. We thank all the organizations that provided in-kind support, which enabled us to apply for, grant funding. Now we have been awarded funds from TCE to strengthen our infrastructure and create an accreditation program. There are a number of key activities that CHIA must accomplish within the next two years. Although CHIA's mission and vision create a strong foundation for its work on a day-to-day basis, we cannot simply focus on the activities immediately ahead. The strategic planning process will not only guide us during this critical period; it will also serve as a blueprint for CHIA's direction during the forthcoming years. Challenges & Approaches:
CHIA is still learning what it is to try to become established in a field that is very unclear, where there is no defined role for healthcare interpreters. We are breaking ground in a brand new professional field. The strategic planning process will permit CHIA to link its mission, resources, capabilities, and needs to the probable environment in which it must cope in the future. In addition, it will permit its Board of Directors and Executive Director, to convene and address broader issues than those concerns that are dealt with day after day. Additionally, the strategic planning process is a mechanism to prioritize its services and activities ensuring the focus towards outcomes that create results and spend CHIA's resources judiciously. Seeking future funding is crucial to continue the process. We would like to stress the unpaid debt we owe to all individuals who have been put in the position of interpreting whether they liked it or not and to those who have become healthcare interpreters by default. CHIA's commitment is to them, to support them and make every effort to provide them with training and continuous education opportunities to heighten and enhance their awareness and performance. This is not an attempt to displace them in any way but to support their past, current and future efforts. For more information call 1-(800)-648-0812. Carola E. Green is a Federal Court and California State Court certified interpreter in English-Spanish and has been a professional healthcare interpreter since 1995. Carola coordinated a bilingual-bicultural demonstration grant program funded by the Office of Minority Health for 4 years where she developed a training curriculum for interpreters, providers, and community residents. Carola has conducted over 1500 training sessions throughout Southern California and has worked closely with other interpreter associations throughout the nation. She has been a part of CHIA since its inception and is currently the Vice-President and Southern California Co-Chairperson. Carola works as Team Leader for the Interpreter Services Department at Cedars Sinai Medical Center providing in house support to LEP patient in 25 languages using staff and a total of 150 languages when using outside resources.
Dr. Avery, PhD is a Senior Research Associate at Education Development Center, Inc. where she directed a three-year project to develop a 27-credit college level certificate program to prepare bilingual adults as medical interpreters. With members of the Massachusetts Medical Interpreters Association (MMIA), she helped developed its standards of practice which have now been recognized by the newly formed group, the National Council on Interpretation in Health Care, as the best available in the nation. Currently the chair of the MMIA Advisory Board, she is working with its certification committee in the development of a certification process for Massachusetts. She has presented at the International Conference on Community Interpreting on cultural issues in health care interpreting and the development of standards. Dr. Avery brings to this work over 25 years of training and consulting experience in the area of cross-cultural communication and the management of diversity in health, mental health, and educational settings.
Responding to Federal Requirements on Language Assistance The speaker will give an overview of the structure, goals & future of the NCIHC. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff has been the Coordinator of Interpreter Services at the University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics, in Madison, Wisconsin, since 1997. She speaks four languages: English, Spanish, French and Farsi. Shiva was born in Iran and grew up in Valencia, Spain, where she attended a French school. She obtained her BA for the School of Interpreters, University of Hainaut, in Mons, Belgium and her MA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. Shiva worked for AT&T Language Line Services as an Operations Manager and the Interpreter Training Coordinator for five years before moving to Madison. Shiva is a member of the Board of the National Council on Interpretation in Health Care and co-chair of the Standards, Certification, & Training Committee. She has worked extensively on issues of equal access to health care for non-English speaking individuals and quality interpreter services.
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essentials | models
and practices | policy |
legal issues | networking |
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Diversity Rx is sponsored by: |
 The National Conference of State Legislatures |
 Resources for Cross Cultural Health Care |
 Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation |
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