Language Access Services Bridge the Gap Between Patient and Physician

Imagine trying to communicate with your physician about a health concern, but the two of you don’t share the same language.

Spanish speaking Maria Martin, 54, lives in Virginia, IL, and has recovered from heart surgery. She also deals with health issues including Behcet’s syndrome and fibromyalgia. She works closely with Katelyn Eldridge, a Spanish interpreter with Memorial Health Language Access Services, and appreciates having consistent access to an interpreter she can trust.

“Interpretation services are very useful for people who do not understand complicated medical situations and to improve the health of the patient,” Martin said. “It is very important to me to have an interpreter I can trust who will not omit anything the doctor explains and who I feel like is part of the family.”

Health disparities among patients with Limited English Proficiency are well documented, according to Joan Engelmann, director of Language Access Services with Memorial Health. She believes that easy access to communication through Language Access Services can help reduce those disparities.

“Interpreters not only help improve patient satisfaction, but they can also help improve patient outcomes, reduce medical errors and enhance patient safety,” Engelmann said. “Beyond facilitating communication, interpreters often act as advocates for supporting improved quality of care.”

Eldridge has worked with Maria on numerous occasions throughout the years. She interprets for approximately 800 patients per year and is available in different capacities through her role not only as a Spanish interpreter but also as the interpreter coordinator for Memorial Health.

“Everyone has the right to understand their healthcare encounters,” Eldridge said. “Providing quality interpretation to patients helps reduce disparities in healthcare and allows people to live a healthier life.”

Memorial Health offers on-site interpreters for the most widely used languages in central Illinois including Spanish, French, Mandarin and American Sign Language. Memorial also contracts with Universal Language Service to provide video remote and over-the-phone interpreter services for nearly 200 additional languages.