Around the Country, Organizations Show that Language Access in Health Care is a Human Right

During the week of December 6, organizations throughout the country hung banners with the message “Language = Life: Language in Health Care is a Human Right.”  They sent a clear message to the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services  that language access is right, not a privilege.

On Language Access, Holding HHS Accountable to People, Not Insurance Companies

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is currently creating the regulations that basically put the meat on the bones of this country’s health care reform law. It is the outcome of these rule-making decisions that will determine the success, or failure, of reform. NWFCO, with the Health Rights Organizing Project, has been weighingContinue reading “On Language Access, Holding HHS Accountable to People, Not Insurance Companies”

Celebrating Community-Based Health Centers

“Generally I am in good health, but when I do need to go to the doctor, I’m glad that Bailey’s clinic is available. I work as a stocker at a big box store, and they don’t provide health care. I only make $9.25 dollars an hour, so I certainly wouldn’t be able to afford privateContinue reading “Celebrating Community-Based Health Centers”

Washington CAN!: Medical Interpretation Victory Empowers Patients and Workers

For eight years, I was the interpreter for my father while he was sick. At the age of 14, I was more his interpreter than his daughter. I worried about how I would tell my father that another part of his leg would be amputated or whether he was going to survive another surgery. SometimesContinue reading “Washington CAN!: Medical Interpretation Victory Empowers Patients and Workers”

Make the Road New York Wins Pharmaceutical Language Access Fight in NYC

Thanks to compelling stories ((“Bad Medicine: How New York area pharmacies’ failure to provide translation and interpretation service prevents immigrant New Yorkers from receiving quality medical care and stands in clear violation of local, state and federal law,” Make the Road New York and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, October, 2007, http://www.maketheroad.org/report.php?ID=437)) fromContinue reading “Make the Road New York Wins Pharmaceutical Language Access Fight in NYC”