Recently Published by the National Health Law Program! "Ensuring Linguistic Access in Health Care Settings: Legal Rights &
Responsibilities"

Price (to help offset unusually high printing costs for this very thick
manual).
$65 for nonprofit advocacy organizations
$100 for for-profit companies, government agencies, and
universities

To order a copy of "Ensuring Linguistic Access in Health Care
Settings," contact our Los Angeles office at (310) 204-6010 or
help@healthlaw.org.

This comprehensive manual (a revision of the 1998 original)
shows advocates and providers how to overcome language
barriers to obtain appropriate medical care for their clients. It
outlines language access responsibilities under federal and state
law, as well as in the private sector, and offers recommendations
for addressing identified problems.

Over 46 million people (more than 17 percent of the United
States population) speak a language other than English at home.
It is critical that the growing numbers of limited English
proficient (LEP) residents be able to communicate with their
health care providers. Accurate communication ensures the
correct exchange of information, allows patients to provide
informed consent for treatment, and avoids breaches of patient-
provider confidentiality.

This manual is designed to assist advocates, policy makers, and
providers in understanding the current status of language access
and the legal protections that govern it. Baseline facts,
checklists, and legal/policy recommendations are highlighted
throughout. The manual is organized as follows:

* Section I offers background information on the scope of the
problem.

*Section II discusses federal requirements for linguistic access,
including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Hill-Burton
obligations, Medicaid and Medicare requirements, the
Emergency Treatment and Active Labor Act, and provisions of
the United States Constitution.

* Section III describes state law requirements, including state
statutes and regulations that require translation services in health
care settings and court decisions that have assessed obligations
from the perspective of potential tort liability.

* Section IV looks at activities by the managed care
organizations, in particular those participating in managed care
programs offered by Medicaid and State Children's Health
Insurance Programs.

* Section V examines the language-oriented recommendations of
private entities that license and accredit health care providers,
such as hospitals and managed care organizations.

* Section VI assesses programs and activities underway to
improve access to competent interpreter services in health care
settings.

* Section VII offers recommendations for addressing the
identified problems.

To order a copy of "Ensuring Linguistic Access in Health Care
Settings," contact our Los Angeles office at (310) 204-6010 or
nhelp@healthlaw.org. ($100 for for-profit companies,
government agencies, and universities, $65 for nonprofit
advocacy organizations).

For more information, go to
http://www.healthlaw.org/publications.shtml