Medical Interpreter Training Program

Language Access Resources

CLAS Standards

www.thinkculturalhealth.org

www.omhrc.gov

OMH, a Division of the Department of Health and Human Services, provides extensive information regarding laws, initiatives and policies related to cultural competency.

Language Access Services and Tools

www.healthlaw.org

The National Health Law Program (NHelp) is a national non-profit public interest law firm working to increase and improve access to quality health care on behalf individuals with special needs.

www.familydocs.org

The California Academy of Family Physicians has developed a great amount of legwork to help physicians communicate with LEP patients. “Addressing Language Access Issues in Your Practice” is a Toolkit for physicians and their staff members to provide the highest quality care possible to patients who speak limited English.

Language Identification Cards

www.usdoj.gov

These cards help identify patients’ preferred language. The U.S. Census Bureau provides “I Speak” cards with the message “Mark this box if you read or speak” in 38 languages.

Communication Picture Boards

www.eadassociates.com

These boards initially designed for better communication between emergency first responders and deaf, are now being used to enhance communication between first responders and non-English speaking populations. These large double-sided panels allow LEP patients to identify their problem in an emergency situation by pointing to pictures that match their condition, i.e., pain, burn, breathing trouble, etc. Patients can also point to their preferred language.

National Association of Community Health Centers

www.nachc.com

NACHC established in 1971 is a non-profit organization which serves as an information source concerning issues of health care for poor and medically underserved populations.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

If you are experiencing technical problems with any of the Regional Program sites, or see an error, please contact our support center at 1-800-547-8680. Please record any error messages with the name of the page, date you saw the error, and a description of the error. You may also email technical problems by to send a detailed email message.