 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Joanne Calista, MSW, Central Massachusetts Area Health Education Center, 4 Lancaster Terrace, Worcester, MA 01609, Edith H. Mas, RN, MSW, MA, Merrimack Valley Area Health Education Center, 34 Haverhill St, Lawerence, MA 01841, Christina Rosi, MPA, Office of Community Programs, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 222 Maple Avenue, Shrewsbury, MA 01545, 508.856.3255, Christina.Rosi@umassmed.edu, and Lisa Morris, MSTD, Office of Community Programs/Statewide AHEC Program Office, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 222 Maple Avenue, Chang Bldg, Shrewsbury, MA 01545.
Data consistently shows that linguistic, racial, and/or ethnic minorities experience higher rates of morbidity and mortality from chronic disease. Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) were designed to bridge health training resources with community needs. Because accurate communication is a vital component in the delivery and receipt of effective health care, the availability of culturally and linguistically competent care is increasingly recognized as a prerequisite to quality health care and the reduction of health disparities. The use of trained medical interpreters and appropriate written translation has the potential to improve access to health care, the quality of that care, and ultimately, a patient’s health outcomes.
The presenter will provide examples of a variety of programs designed to improved and enhance language access. The presentation will showcase the following examples: *An interpreter dispatch service that provides multilingual medical interpreters skilled in 14 languages *The development of a cultural competence service bureau that provides translation and evaluation of patient and medical professional written materials *The pilot of a train the trainer program to help ensure the quality of medical interpreter training programs *A medical interpreter mentorship program *An advanced training series for seasoned medical interpreters
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.