The Herald Bulletin - Community offers Spanish-language parenting class

Thu, Nov 26 2009

Breaking News: State seeks to extend Foley’s license suspension November 25, 2009 09:23 pm

Resources

Print this story

Post to del.icio.us

Photos

Certified Medical Translator Janine Barajas, standing right, interprets for Pediatrician Dr. Teri Schulz, seated right, as she spoke during a meeting of Community Hospitals Spanish health class.
Don Knight / The Herald Bulletin

Dr. Teri Schulz, left, and RN and Lactation Consultant Elizabeth Arnett look over growth charts of babies in Community Hospitals Spanish health class.
Don Knight / The Herald Bulletin

Community offers Spanish-language parenting class

By Brandi Watters, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer

The law now requires that health-care providers meet the language needs of patients.

When a foreign language is spoken by a patient and an interpreter is not available, Harrison-Troxell said, the hospital uses a language line, a paid service that provides interpreters over the phone for medical purposes.

In the past, immigrants and others who did not speak English relied on their American-born, English-speaking children to communicate with doctors. This, Barajas said, is dangerous, since children cannot be expected to understand complicated medical situations.

Under federal law, the weight of the language barrier now falls to the hospitals who use people like Barajas to make each patient visit easier.

“You just have to be able to bridge that gap,” she said.

---------

If you go

What: Parenting class in Spanish

Where: Pregnancy Plus at Community Hospital

When: 4:30 p.m. first Tuesday of each month

Cost: Free

<< Previous |