cargill

[aft_lizard01]

If you have ever been to Puerto Rico you would actually know that quite a few of the locals in fact do not speak English well if at all. It may be taught in school but outside the home is an entirely different story. Reading it on a website be it Wikipedia or the States website and actually experiencing it yourself is two different things. Those who do speak English well in Puerto Rico either move to the US or work in tourism or business down there.

[gadwall]

so i guess in a territory of the usa a child can be left behind. mom,(can't write your first name) both my wife and my daugther work in the health care industry and there is no state or federal law requiring them to have an interperter on hand. it would be convenient if they did but also costly.

aft, my dad was in pueto rico for a two month vacation and he found no one who could not speak at least some english. i know this was a long time ago but i can't believe that things would have gone backwards since then.

[Outofdodge]

Originally Posted by gadwall

in the health care industry and there is no state or federal law requiring them to have an interperter on hand.

You are correct but, (there's always a "but").

As part of the accredidation process for certain health care facilities, which includes almost all hospitals as well as some surgery centers, home health agencies, and hospices there is a requirement that care givers be able to communicate fully with the patient through an objective source with a basic understanding of medical terminology in the language.

It is a patient and employee safety issue. It might as well be a law, since it is a "standard of care" and insurance payors generally require an accreditation/certification before they will make payment.

[JayhawkMom]

OOD fully understood the point of my post. There may not be a "law", but we are required by our accreditation entity, to have interpreters available to be able to fully communicate with the patient population that we serve. In addition, any form, educational material, conset form, etc must be available in Spanish as well.

I'm simply saying, that in a hospital, special accommodations are made to be able to communicate with individuals who don't speak English.....and it's required if you want to maintain accreditation.

I don't make the rules............

[gadwall]

what hospital are you speaking of mom?

[BroncoFan]

I would venture a guess that all hospital facilities that are JCAHO accredited would have this stipulation. Others that accredit health care facilities will also have these regulations, depending on the geographical area/minority population.

[Outofdodge]

Originally Posted by BroncoFan

depending on the geographical area/minority population.

Actually it's independent of the geographical area/minority population. The facility has to have a plan to communicate with someone who's native tongue is not English, even if he/she is passing through from some forgotten tribe in outer Mongolia.

[jeezeweeze]

Originally Posted by Outofdodge

Actually it's independent of the geographical area/minority population. The facility has to have a plan to communicate with someone who's native tongue is not English, even if he/she is passing through from some forgotten tribe in outer Mongolia.

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