Each month we'll share an organization's website that stands out with quality...

...up to date content for all who serve limited English speakers and their respective communities.

We kick off this new feature with a spotlight on DiversityPreparedness.org and its National Resource Center.

The mission of the Center is...

"to serve as a central clearinghouse of resources and an information exchange portal to facilitate communication, networking and collaboration to improve preparedness, build resilience and eliminate disparities for culturally diverse communities across all phases of an emergency."

As you'll see when you visit, this is truly a "resource of resources", with key components like:

• A catalog of annotated and cross-referenced resources, programs and projects by a range of topics, languages, and communities.


• Links to full-text sources, including peer-reviewed journal articles, training and education content, resource guides, measurement and evaluation tools, translated materials and other publications.


• Links to federal, state and local government, as well as private sector, academic and community-based programs and websites devoted to preparing culturally diverse populations for emergencies.


• Coming Soon! An online discussion forum for the exchange of ideas and information, including experiences, lessons learned, promising practices and strategies, success stories, new resources, innovations, policies, and events.


• Coming Soon! An online member directory of experts and professionals working to integrate culturally diverse communities across into preparedness planning and action.


• And much more!

Visit their website, and while you're there, take a look at their archive of recent newsletters...

...and their current issue here (you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader).

This site is a combined project of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Drexel University School of Public Health Center for Health Equality

We hope you enjoy our first featured resource of the month. Let us know at healthletter@languageline.com. Thanks!

Are you looking for some "edutainment"? Sure you are. Do you love maps? Who doesn't, right?

Well, a colleague of mine sent me a link the other day to something called "Worldmapper". I was intrigued by it's slogan, "the world as you've never seen it before", so of course had to take a look.

Let me say first that some of the topics studied by manipulating maps are not for the kids at home: Poverty, Disease, Disaster, Death... well you get the idea.

But the maps also illustrate world topics such as Movement, Health, Medicine, Transport, Food, Goods, Manufacturers, Services, Fuel, Work, Income, and Wealth.

And the "moving maps" illustrate such topics in ways you've never seen before, like the slogan says.

So, without further ado, click here and let us know what you think. Interesting? Enlightning? Boring? Stomach churning? (You'll get what I mean :)

Write to Newsletter@LanguageLine.com and let us know.

By the way, the folks behind Worldmapper are a bunch of smarties from:

• The University of Michigan,


• The University of Sheffield,


• The Leverhulme Trust, and


• The Geographical Association

Enjoy!

(CNN) -- After nearly 40 years of recorded increases, the number of immigrants living in the United States remained flat between 2007 and 2008, recent statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau show.

The number of naturalized citizens in the U.S. increased, partly attributed to voter drives for the 2008 election.

According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the U.S. foreign-born population represented about 12.5 percent of the population in 2008, down from 12.6 percent in 2007.

"Between '07 and '08 there really wasn't that much of a change," said Elizabeth Grieco, chief of immigration statistics staff at the Census Bureau.

But given the steep upward trend in the foreign-born population since 1970, no change is big news.

Read the entire CNN.com story here >>

If you find this story interesting, you will find much to like here on CNN's "U.S. Census Bureau" page.

Hundreds of participants recently attended the 2009 IMIA International Conference on Medical Interpreting in Cambridge, MA, October 9th though 11th.

Held at The Hyatt by the Charles River, the hotel was packed with conference attendees enjoying the beautiful venue.

The positive grassroots energy for medical interpreter certification was evident to all and the keynote speakers were excellent, and truly inspiring.

Key events of the conference dedicated to "Global Perspectives on Professional Medical Interpreters", included:

• Introduction of the 12 members of the National Board for Certification of Medical Interpreters,


• The National Medical Interpreter Certification officially announced.


• And guest speaker Kate Auspitz, representative of Congressman Michael E. Capuano, expressing Capuano's admiration and gratitude for the work professional medical interpreters do"

The IMIA Raquel Cashman Language Access Award

Then Izabel Arocha, IMIA President (pictured above), presented The IMIA Raquel Cashman Language Access Award to Louis F. Provenzano, President and COO, Language Line Services and his company, the first time the award was ever presented to an organization.

The Award was established in 1993 by the International Medical Interpreters Association, in memory of Raquel Cashman, Director of the Interpreters Department at Boston Medical Center, and the initial founding member of the Board of Directors of the IMIA.

This annual award perpetuates the enduring contributions of this health care and community leader by recognizing the achievements of individuals (and now organizations) who have made significant and lasting contributions to improving patient safety and language access in health care.

More Conference Information

For those who were not able to attend, you will soon be able to see the 2009 presentations posted on IMIA's website, in the conference section.

Additional information can be found on the IMIA website here or you may write to info@imiaweb.org.

Selected News of the Month

• Parkland Health & Hospital System Expands Language Access with Language Line Phones in Every Patient Room


• Language Line Services' - Cross-Cultural Update for October 2009. Useful Cultural News, Tips and Timely Information


• Limited English Speaking Patients Closer to Being Guaranteed Quality, Equitable Healthcare; National Certification for Medical Interpreters Launches

Read more Language Line Services news here >>

Language Line Services, the leader in language interpretation, is seeking to increase its interpreter team in many languages.

Among other positions, we are now hiring experienced, professional face-to-face medical interpreters!

Our experienced, on-site medical interpreters provide consecutive interpretation, have educated native fluency in two languages and are highly skilled in the cultural dynamics of the languages they interpret.

If you have native fluency in English and another language, at least one year of medical interpreting experience, are trained and/or certified as a medical interpreter and have excellent customer service skills, then apply online at www.LanguageLine.com/careers.

Are you interested in becoming an over-the-phone interpreter?

If you have excellent proficiency in English, with strong listening and comprehension skills as well as good customer service skills, you can become an interpreter for Language Line Services.

Visit www.languageline.com/careers.

View the "How to Become an Interpreter" Video.

Then, click on "Apply Today" under "interpreter Careers" OR "Corporate Careers" and follow the directions.

Here's what one valued client recently said about one of Language Line Services' excellent interpreters:

"...interpreter #6100 for Farsi was fantastic... We had a very difficult client that your interpreter made so easy for me. Thank you..."

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