Interpreter Services
St. Barnabas Hospital is located in the Bronx, where 57% of households speak a language other than English, and over 50% speak Spanish. To meet the healthcare needs of patients with Limited English Proficiency, as well as those with vision, hearing, and speech impairment, St. Barnabas Hospital launched the Linguistic and Culturally Appropriate Assistance Program (LCAAP) in 2006.
Since its introduction, LCAAP has made great strides to promote meaningful communication between St. Barnabas Hospital’s staff and the community. In 2009, St. Barnabas provided more than 33,000 minutes of interpretation in over forty languages, including Spanish, Albanian, Mandarin, Arabic and French Creole.
Medical interpreting is a specialized skill that requires knowledge of medical terminology, diseases and equipment. At St. Barnabas we provide medically certified interpreter services using dual handset telephones connected to a professional interpreting service. For the deaf-mute and hard of hearing, video monitors are available that connect to a sign language interpreter. Our physicians and nurses are trained in the use of these modalities, and we have ongoing hands-on workshops to make sure staff are adequately trained to help patients in need of language assistance. You can download and read the complete list of our Interpreter Services.
According to the New York City Council, New York State requires all hospitals to provide free interpretation for patients within 10 minutes of arriving in the ER, and 20 minutes elsewhere in the hospital. This is known as the “10-20 rule.”
In compliance with these regulations, and with concern for the comfort and well being of our patients, St. Barnabas is committed to providing cultural and language assistance to all who enter our doors.
