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Patient and Family Services
Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin provide care for people from Wisconsin, other states and even abroad. It is important for all of our patients to be able to communicate to staff members and to understand what is happening during their hospital visit. Our goal is to provide the highest level of satisfaction throughout a patient’s care. For patients, whose primary language of communication is not English, we offer interpreter services through live interpreters and phone interpreting.
Froedtert Language Services department is comprised of 8 interpreters and Manager, Olga Kozlova, MA, MBA. This team provides interpreter services to all Froedtert clinics and inpatient units in American Sign Language, Russian, and Spanish languages. Other languages are covered by local interpreting agencies and a nation-wide telephonic interpreting provider, Pacific Interpreters, Inc. Utilizing all of these resources, Language Services department is able to assist patients in over 150 different languages.
Office Hours:Monday: 6 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday – Friday: 6 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Weekend and Afterhours: interpreter services are available through Froedtert Administrative Representatives
Medical Interpreting and the LawApproximately 80% of American Hospitals encounter Limited English Proficiency patients frequently and 43% encounter these patients daily. Froedtert is no exception. We see a multi-diverse patient population with a rich cultural background. In addition, American Sign Language is the third most frequently used language in the United States, and one of the top 5 languages for Froedtert. It is clear that medical interpreting is a highly needed service, which assures seamless and meaning communication between patients and their care providers.
There are also laws, which mandate and govern provision of interpreter services. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prevents any organization that receives federal funding from discriminating on the basis of a person's race, color, or national origin. Failure to recognize a patient’s need for a medical interpreter is regarded as violation of this federal law in relation to the national origin.
Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities including deaf and hearing impaired. ADA expects hospitals & medical service providers to eliminate anything that discriminates against a deaf person.
Benefits of Utilizing a Professional Medical InterpreterProfessional medical interpreters may serve in various roles with the goal of providing a timely and reliable communication bridge between a patient and a provider. Froedtert medical interpreters undergo extensive testing and training to insure competences in bilingual medical terminology, various modes of interpreting, and cultural competence. In a few words, medical interpreters may serve as:
- Conduits of communication. In this most common role, interpreters relay messages from the source language into the target language without omissions, changes, or substitutions. Completeness and accuracy are the key factors of this role.
- Cultural brokers. In this less common role, medical interpreters may choose to share pertinent cultural information which can help the provider or the patient find a culturally appropriate resolution to a situation, in which Western views may be in dissonance with non-Western traditions. Cultural competence and solid knowledge of the topic are critical for this role.
Utilizing a professional medical interpreter is vital to delivering an accurate and complete message to a patient. In addition, medical interpreters abide by a Code of Ethics and by HIPPA, which insures confidentiality of private health information. Medical interpreters can help build a positive and safe patient’s experience.
In order to learn more about Froedtert Languages Services, please do not hesitate to call 414-805-8888.
Para conocer mas de los Servicios de Lenguaje de Froedtert (Froedtert Language Services), por favor no dude en llamar 414-805-8888.
Чтобы узнать больше о Службе Переводчиков при больнице Froedtert, пожалуйста, звоните 414-805-8888.
Last Review Date: Feb. 16, 2011 Online Editor(s): Kathryn Adam |
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