CHIA UPDATE - April 2003
April 26, 2003
MMIA/CHIA PILOT TESTING PROGRAM ON TRACK :
CHIA has emailed more than 371 questionnaires to prospective participants in a joint pilot with the Massachusetts Medical Interpreters Association. The goal of this pilot, funded by the federal Office of Minority Health (OMH) through the the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC), is to gain important knowledge and experience about testing for interpreting proficiency and accuracy. Testing will be conducted in June at the Merced Community College campus and the Merced Family Care Clinic. CHIA needs 45 test takers (15 beginning, 15 intermediate and 15 advanced level interpreters) and 10 highly experienced administrators / graders to volunteer for this important project. If you are willing to contribute two weekend days in June (either the 21-22 or 21 and 28th), please contact Tatiana Vizcaino-Stewart (project coordinator) at tatiana@mercednet.com or Betty Moore (project liaison) at bmoore@merced.com
A special thanks to Merced Community College and Healthy House of Merced who are collaborating with CHIA on this project.
HOSPITALS ASKED TO JOIN CHIA:
In our efforts to expand CHIA’s membership and to enlist supporting organizations, CHIA has sent out letters and the newly revised CHIA brochure to 539 hospital risk managers throughout the State. CHIA’s Board recently approved “tiered” institutional membership categories basted on the size of the institution requesting to join CHIA as a sponsoring member. Recommended sponsorship categories range from those institutions with gross revenue less than $500,000 annually contributing $150 per year to those above $10 million annually contributing $1500 per year. The Board also approved “Sponsoring Partner” and “Sustaining Partner” categories of $5,000 and $10,000 respectively. Student and Individual membership will remain at $15 and $35 annually.
Any Board member, Chapter Chair, or CHIA member who would like electronic copies of the new CHIA Brochure in order to pitch supporting membership to hospitals or other organizations or individuals in your community, please contact Don Schinske at Dschinske@AMGroup.us.
CHIA CONTRIBUTES TO UCSF:
CHIA President Beverly Treumann and four other CHIA leaders participated in an interview last week with Catherine Dower, JD
Project Director of the California Workforce Initiative at UCSF’s Center For the Health Professions. The Center is preparing an issue brief on health interpreters in California which is intended to give a “snapshot” of the profession that will help decision makers to better understand the importance of interpreting services in health care. The Center’s issues brief is expected to be published in late May. CHIA will make a link to this available though our web site.
CHIA MEETS WITH MARIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION (MCF):
CHIA met with representatives of the Marin Community Foundation last week to discuss the possibility of CHIA and MCF working jointly on a pilot program in Marin County that would help fund telemedicine and other bridges to interpreting services that would help Marin patients to overcome language and cultural barriers. Participating in the meeting were CHIA’s past executive director Niels Agger-Gupta, Sacramento Chapter Chair, Marbella Sala and her staff at UC Davis, CHIA Board Secretary Betty Moore, Hablamos Juntos grantee Martha Bernadett, of Molina Health Plan and CHIA executive director and assistant executive director, Tom Riley and Don Schinske.
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