Concerns about a lack of trained interpreters at area health care facilities have local officials trying to improve care for non-English speaking patients.
In December, physicians and members of the region’s Hispanic community met with local facilities to discuss the concerns about a lack of interpreter services, which some say could lead to inaccurate diagnoses and even death.
“We need to come up with a solution,” said Holly Melendez, certified interpreter and program coordinator for Community Capacity and Diabetes Care: Hispanic Appalachia.
As an advocate for Spanish-speaking patients and their physicians, Melendez must not only help patients understand but also make the health care facilities she works with understand that the progress they’re making may not be enough.
For six years, Melendez said, ETSU affiliates have been working with area hospitals to make them understand that it is unethical and dangerous not to hire interpreters.
But with a growing number of Hispanics within the community, hospitals are experiencing growing pains of their own.
“We’re being challenged to offer more services,” said Tom Tull, director of guest services for Mountain States Health Alliance, which runs several health care facilities including Johnson City Medical Center, Johnson City Specialty Hospital, Quillen Rehabilitation Hospital and Johnson County Health Center.
“Running a hospital is no different from running a bank or a school,” Tull said. “There are a multitude of issues involved. Part of it is economics.”
For instance, the cost of hiring a full-time interpreter is not cost-efficient because interpreting is not necessarily a full-time job, Tull said.
To its credit, JCMC has made other provisions for non-English-speaking patients, including a telephone language line to assist employees and patients with language barriers and translation services for patients’ discharge and educational instruction.
Additionally, JCMC keeps a roster of medically trained bilingual staff and a list of volunteer interpreters. But first-party interpreters like these, Tull said, are not always available.
“You can’t rely on it 100 percent of the time,” Tull said.
It’s the remaining percentage that has some patients and physicians concerned, however.
According to minutes from the December meeting, problems “ranging from being unable to understand bills to dangerous misinterpretation” are still happening.
A list of these problems included:
* Technical problems with the language line
* Friends and family members of patients being used as interpreters
* Bilingual staff members being used as interpreters
* Health care facility staff being unaware of the language line or that resources for interpreters exist
* Interpreters who find themselves in health care facilities for personal reasons are asked to interpret for other patients
* People being used as interpreters are not always evaluated properly
* Interpreters used are not educated on patient confidentiality
* Communication between hospital administrators and staff is lacking
* Some essential documents are only available in English.
While advocates pledge to continue their work with hospitals to find solutions, they still believe that hiring interpreters is the only true solution. As one meeting attendee said, “Practicing medicine without interpreters is like practicing veterinary medicine on people.”

Author