May has been Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

A rather broad term, Asian-Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).

Like most commemorative months, Asian-Pacific Heritage Month originated in a congressional bill. In June 1977, Reps. Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California introduced a House resolution that called upon the president to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week.

Twelve years later, President George H.W. Bush signed an extension making the week-long celebration into a month-long celebration. In 1992, the official designation of May as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month was signed into law.

The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

Read the rest of this article from AsianPacificHeritage.gov here >>

Subject matter expert speakers available to your organization on a variety of topics related to language access, standards, best practices, and more.

Language Line Services, through its "Center for Language Access Excellence", now offers subject matter expert (SME) speakers on:

• Language access, standards, best practices,
• Ensuring compliance with the Joint Commission new and revised standards, Federal and State regulations/statutes, Title VI, CLAS standards, and more,
• Performance measurement and quality improvement, and
• Developing and implementing a language access program

Speakers from Language Line Services include:

• Louis F. Provenzano, Jr., President & CEO, speaking on topics including: Interpreting the Difference, Implementing a Language Access Program, Reimbursement, Lobbying and Advocacy.


• Jeanette Anders, Manager of Healthcare Strategic Initiatives. Topics will include: Stakeholder Relations, Compliance


• Oscar Arocha, Senior Executive, Global Strategic Initiatives. Topics: Patient-Centered Care Technology and Language Program Operations


• Martin Conroy, Senior Manager for Public Sector Programs. Topics: Government Affairs, State Regulations, Compliance


• Danyune Geertsen, Director of Interpreter Training and Quality. Topics: Interpreter Competency Testing, Training, Certification


• Douglas Green, Senior Sales Executive. Topics: Utilization/Cost Efficiency Models


• Lourdes (Lulu) Sanchez, Senior Manager, Customer Experience. Topics: Language Access Implementation, Cultural & Linguistic Training & Awareness

Tap into Language Line Services' consultative experts who can provide advice on many of the issues facing healthcare providers today.

Consider our team of SMEs as a complementary expansion of your own resources:

• Improve efficiency and productivity through the advice and use of subject matter experts
• Participate in pilots
• Significant value add
• Reduce consultant costs
• Resource for your own language access customer task force
• Educational sessions, grand rounds, forums etc.
• Speakers at national and international conferences
• Onsite seminars or online webinars

To learn more, or to request a speaker, visit this page.

When completing the form, please use the "Comments" box to let us know the dates and location of your event, proposed topic area, and any other information that will help us provide the best speaker for your group. Thank you!

Language-specific navigation may increase CRC screening among racially diverse patients.

"Patient navigators" may help increase rates of colorectal cancer screening among ethnically diverse patients, particularly non-English speaking and black patients, according to a study published in the May 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Karen E. Lasser, M.D., M.P.H., from the Boston University School of Public Health, and colleagues investigated the association between patient navigation and increased CRC screening among 465 ethnically diverse patients enrolled between 2008 and 2009. The participants spoke English, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, or Spanish as their primary language and were not up to date with CRC screening. Investigators randomly allocated patients to receive usual care or intervention by a language-concordant navigator who offered screening by fecal occult blood testing or colonoscopy. Outcomes were CRC screening completion within one year and detection of adenoma or cancer by colonoscopy.

The investigators found that, during the one-year follow-up, intervention patients were significantly more likely to undergo CRC screening, to undergo colonoscopy screening, and to have adenomas detected compared to control patients. Patient navigation was found to be especially effective for black patients and those whose primary language was other than English.

"Patient navigation may represent a powerful tool for increasing CRC screening rates among racially diverse patients. Focusing patient navigation on populations of patients who are black and whose primary language is other than English may be a particularly effective approach to reducing CRC screening disparities for these patients," the authors write.

Read this article at "DoctorsLounge.com" >>

Read this research abstract at "Archives of Internal Medicine" >>

See "How to Become a Patient Navigator" at More.com >>

Just moments after New York's Mayor Bloomberg announced the city's first official prescription discount card...

Louis Provenzano, President and CEO of Language Line Services congratulated the Mayor and all others responsible for BigAppleRx by saying:

"Language Line Services is New York City's language access partner interpreting more than 90 percent of the city's 911 and 311 calls for limited English proficient (LEP) speakers. "Mayor Bloomberg's BigAppleRx program is an exciting and important step that will ensure the health and safety of the more than 1.8 million LEPs who live in New York, a city with more languages than any place on earth. "Patients access to discounted medications and information will lead to better care, healthier New Yorkers and millions of dollars in savings. We hope this program can set the national standard for a country facing a growing population of limited English proficient patients in its healthcare system."

Read the Mayor's BigAppleRx announcement here on his personal blog or just below.

Announcing NYC's First Official Prescription Discount Card: Free BigAppleRx Card Can Be Used at More than 2,000 City Pharmacies

May 18, 2011 | NYC.gov | Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Deputy Mayor Linda I. Gibbs today launched New York City's first official prescription discount card offering substantial discounts throughout the five boroughs.

The BigAppleRx card will be one of the most widely distributed prescription drug discount cards in the nation, and is available to anyone regardless of age, income, citizenship or health insurance status. The cards will save an average of 47 percent on prescription medications and can be used by anyone who lives, works or visits the City.

All too often, the rising costs of prescription drugs place a burden on New York City households. And this is particularly true for the more than one million New Yorkers who don't have health insurance,' said Mayor Bloomberg.

Having access to a free prescription drug card can mean the difference between being able to afford prescriptions and being forced to skip doses. That's why we pledged to issue a New York City card on the campaign trail in 2009, and now we are fulfilling that promise with the launch of the BigAppleRx card.

Read the rest of New York City Mayor Bloomberg's "BigAppleRX" announcement here >>

Offering Written Language Preference to Patients Looms as Challenge for Hospitals

By Oscar Arocha and Martin Conroy of Language Line Services

Originally Published in Healthcare IT News -- May 6, 2011 -- When hospitals ask patients about their language requirements, it is very important they ask the correct questions.

We've all heard these questions, "Do you speak English?, "Where were you born?", "Where do you come from?", or "What language do you speak?".

Unfortunately, each of these risks complicating matters even further.

The right question, "What is your preferred spoken language?" has been adopted by many as the more effective way to determine oral language preference for limited English proficient (LEP) patients and their families. Identifying the preferred spoken language sets an expectation with the patient and their family. They should expect to receive at least verbal communication in their language of preference.

A different challenge that also needs to be addressed is the provision of written information to patients, given the laws, mandates and The Joint Commission's requirements on the appropriate delivery of services to support effective communication.

Many hospitals might not be prepared and therefore could jeopardize critical funding when the new standards for hospital accreditation based on language access currently undergoing a one-year pilot take full effect in January 2012.

Healthcare organizations must comply with federal and state regulations that mandate the provision of language services to qualify for public funds, Medicaid, Medicare and other government-financed programs.

Read the rest of this Healthcare IT News article here >>

Oscar Arocha, senior executive of Global Strategic Initiatives at Language Line Services, is a 25-year industry veteran and former director of the largest interpreter services department in the nation at Boston Medical Center.

Martin Conroy, senior manager for Public Sector Programs at Language Line Services, is former director of the Division of Acute and Primary Care Services at the New York State Department of Health, with 37 years of public service responsible for the regulatory oversight of hospitals and clinics, including language access.

IMIA Second Annual Trainers Symposium June 9 & 10

"It has always been my desire to expand and make our emerging career as professional medical interpreters more visible and that's why I am thrilled to bring this event to southern Nevada and especially to the city of Las Vegas."

-Alvaro Vergara-Mery, PhD, CMI, IMIA Nevada Chapter Representative, National Board Director, and NITA Board Member.

This National Trainers Symposium is organized by the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA), with the collaboration of the Nevada Interpreters and Translators Association (NITA) and will be hosted by University Medical Center of Southern Nevada (UMC).

For more information about the event and to register, please go to: http://www.imiaweb.org/conferences/trainerssymposium.asp

2011 4th Annual Southeast Regional Medical Interpreter Conference (SERMIC), June 10th & 11th, Nashville, TN

The Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators (TAPIT), the South Eastern Medical Interpreter's Association (SEMIA), The Medical Interpreter Network of Georgia (MING), and the Tennessee Association of Medical Interpreters and Translators (TAMIT) have recognized a unique opportunity to continue working together to bring new ideas and solutions to our common challenges. The Conference focus is "Certification and Beyond".

NATI 12th Regional Conference, August 4-6. "Language Rx: Prescription for Language Access"

Durham Research Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, with the support of the College of Public Heath's Center for Reducing Health Disparities.

The 2011 conference information is at www.natihq.org and here bonet@cox.net.

The conference offers an excellent selection of sessions on medical and legal translation and interpretation, language skills development, interpreter skill sets, translator tools and techniques, freelance business building, and language access policy and regulation. Networking and fun are just the icing on this cake!

Need a Job? What Languages Do You Speak?

By Louis Provenzano, President & CEO, Language Line Services

As the number of people who speak one of 200-plus languages other than English at home increases in this country, so do the job opportunities for interpreters and translators. The worldwide market for language access services was estimated at $26.3 billion in 2010, according to a recent article in the Philadelphia Enquirer. Projections for 2013 are as high as $38.1 billion.

The burgeoning Hispanic population is certainly part of the story. A report out in March from the Pew Hispanic Center shows the number of Hispanics counted in the 2010 Census was much larger than expected in most states (out of 33 tallied).

Hispanics accounted for the majority (58 percent) of population growth over the decade in those states. The combined census total of 38.7 million Hispanics in those states was higher by 590,000 people (or 1.5 percent) than the bureau's own estimates.

Opportunities for interpreters and translators include:

• Over-the-phone interpretation - Interpret for clients in the medical industry, court system and numerous other industries over the phone.


• Document Translation - Translate written English forms, signage, agreements, applications and any other document into the language the businesses customers will understand.


• On-site Interpretation - This can be key in medical situations when a face-to-face interpreter is needed because the information is too sensitive or likely to be misunderstood.


• Video Interpreter Service - Communicate with the deaf using the latest video technology. Hospitals are starting to use video for Hispanic patients as well.

Read the rest of this AOL Jobs article by Language Line Services' Louis Provenzano here >>

Language Line Services, the leader in language interpretation, is seeking to increase its interpreter team in many languages, as well as offering a wide variety of corporate openings.

Over-the-phone, Certified Medical Spanish Interpreters (CMI) to work from home in the U.S. Must have passed the National Medical Interpreter Certification Exam or be CMI certified through Language Line Services.

We are very actively seeking two experienced on-site interpreters in Contra Costa County, California. One in Punjabi, the other in Farsi. Formal training/certification preferred.

As for work-at-home, over-the-phone interpreters, we have openings, especially in Spanish, and in a number of other languages including:

• Cakchiquel
• Chaldean
• Hassaniyya
• Hausa
• Karen
• Karenni
• Mixteco
• Nepali
• Trique
• and several others (see our Web site)

And, finally, top Corporate opportunities include:

• Account Manager - Healthcare East Coast
• Customer Service Representative II, Monterey, CA
• Payroll Specialist-Monterey, CA
• Sales Associate- Monterey, CA
• Sales Executive- East Coast
• Sales Executive- Northeast

For non-interpreter positions, please apply at: www.languageline.com/careers. Click on "Apply Today" under "Corporate Careers" and follow the directions to add your profile.

EEO/AA Employer.

* Some positions may have been filled by the time you apply. However, new positions open up every week.

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