Language Barriers in Arizona Hospitals Hinder Access to Care

Many Phoenix-area hospitals lack "formal interpreter programs," often resulting in increased wait times or other barriers to care for Spanish-speaking patients, the Arizona Republic reports. Although care providers are required by the 1964 Civil Rights Act to provide interpreters -- President Clinton "reiterated" the requirement through an executive order in 2000 -- many area hospitals depend on bilingual family members, "off-site" telephone translation services or staff members "who must interpret sick patients' symptoms in addition to doing their regular jobs." The Republic reports that although "no one knows" how many patients are affected, 25% of residents in the Phoenix area are Hispanic, and almost 8% of those people do not speak English. Ken Bowlby, coordinator of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center's formal interpreter program -- one of a handful in the area -- said he has witnessed how "horrendous misinterpretation has led to gross misdiagnosis." According to the Republic, translating Spanish into English can be "tricky" in a hospital setting because interpreting involves "cultural nuances" for each patient, "technical medical terminology" and bilingual patients who "often prefer to communicate in their native language when in pain." The Republic reports that although the "most requested" language for translation is Spanish, hospitals around Phoenix also face demand for Arabic, Vietnamese and Bosnian interpreters (Fehr-Snyder, Arizona Republic, 1/9).