Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111210

Leilani V. Francisco, MA, Health Policy and Research Program, American Institutes for Research, 1000 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007 and Guadalupe Pacheco, MSW, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 600, Rockville, MD 20852, 301-443-3379, gpacheco@osophs.dhhs.gov.

The provision of language access services (LAS) in health care settings increases the likelihood that limited English proficient (LEP) individuals will receive adequate care and exhibit better health outcomes. Due to limited resources, small health care organizations are often constrained in their ability to provide effective LAS. To address these issues, research was conducted to inform the development of a draft Health Care Language Services Implementation Guide.

The development of the guide is based on the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) and other existing federal guidance. To ensure that the guide is rooted in and responsive to real-world experiences among small health organizations, we solicited input from stakeholders through: 1) expert panel meetings; 2) site visits to small health care organizations; 3) interviews with administrators, physicians, and other health care providers; and 4) focus groups with LEP patients.

The guide is intended to provide practical, ground level suggestions for how small health care organizations can implement LAS, and will help administrators, managers, and providers improve the quality of care among LEP patients.

This presentation will provide an overview of the evidence used to develop the guide, and will detail key factors that administrators identify as necessary for the effective provision of LAS. The components of the guide relevant to organizational assessment and strategic planning will also be presented.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify four evidence-based methods for use in developing the guide
• Assess administrator’s perspectives on key factors necessary for the effective provision of language access services (LAS)
• Evaluate the components of the guide that describe steps for implementing LAS relevant to organizational assessment and strategic planning

Related Web page: www.cultureandhealth.org/lang

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation