Session A:

The Office for Civil Rights

This presentation will provide an overview of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' policy guidance on providing meaningful access to limited English proficient (LEP) persons; background on the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will also be provided, including the role of OCR in enforcing federal anti-discrimination statutes and regulations.

LA County Dept. of Health

How is the 2^nd largest health department in the country working to respond to the cultural and linguistic needs of its patients? With a Work Group comprised of staff, advocates and cultural & linguistic specialists, DHS is the first county to develop Cultural & Linguistic Competency Standards. What are the challenges of implementation in a large department? The challenges of integrating cultural and linguistic competency into the system? How do we address the issue of resources, especially during fiscal down times?

Session B:

CHIA’s New Standards:
Ethical Principles & the Ethical Decision-Making Process

In this session, Niels & Marilyn, two CHIA Standards & Certification Committee members will present the Ethical Principles and the new ethical decision-making process contained in the new Standards document. This session will help interpreters, administrators and care providers come to a new understanding of the ethical basis for interpreter actions. Through large and small group dialog, participants will have a chance to work with the ethical decision-making process, contained in the Standards, for their own ethical dilemmas, as well as ask questions of the authors of the document

Session C

Telephone interpreting -
Over-The-Phone Interpreting Seminar:

A one hour workshop on telephonic interpreting as done by Tele-Interpreters
This workshop was very successful at a Los Angeles chapter meeting in July 2001.  It is non-language specific.  Who should attend? People interested in techniques used in telephone interpreting, whether you are a non-interpreter interested in what interpreters do, an interpreter looking to learn some techniques, or a bilingual person considering employment in telephonic interpreting. 

Session D

Developments in the Healthcare Interpreter Training Curriculum
at Mt. San Antonio College.

This presentation will address the process of developing curricula to meet the needs of the community, industry and the students. We will explore areas that include the process of developing a curriculum, faculty and expert input and the dissemination of the curricula.

Session E

Advocacy at the State and National Level

Representatives from local, state, and national organizations will present information about current policy issues in language access. Over the past year, a number of developments have occurred that could affect the ability of limited English proficient individuals to access interpretation services and translated materials. These include California legislation: AB 2739 (Chan) Language Assistance and Cultural Competency in Medi-Cal/Health Families, and SB 987 (Escutia) Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act; as well as federal policies: Medicaid Managed Care Regulations, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Title VI Limited English Proficiency Guidance. Presenters will also discuss general advocacy strategies and ways to get involved.

Session F

Repeat of morning OCR presentation

Session G

 Interpreters – Spanish
 Test your translation skills

Joaquin Chan-Sanchez,
How do professional translators work? What do you need to know when your monolingual boss says “you speak Spanish, translate this.” This session will be part assertiveness training (how to say “no” while explaining to your boss what skills a translator should have), part how-to-assess-your-own-skills (many people may think they can do this job without training, part how-to-improve-your writing-and-translation-skills. Participants will also learn about the Southern California Translators & Interpreters Association, the American Translators Association and dictionaries, etc.

Session H

Applying the CHIA Standards of Practice –

The Standards were developed with a diverse audience in mind, (e.g. health care administrators, hospital staff, legislators, physicians etc.), but we particularly wanted to focus on the needs of health care interpreters. In this session we will show how the Standards Document can help interpreters to balance the needs of both the patient and the provider. A case scenario will demonstrate how interpreters may use the standards to assist in their goal of better health outcome for the patient. Participants will have an opportunity to share their own dilemmas in health care interpreting and utilize the Standards as a guide in the decision making process.

Session I

Running an Interpreter Service Program: Challenges that face a new program

This workshop will describe interpreter services from public and private sectors’ program designs, which incorporate the OCR’s Policy Guidance. The presentation will be an excellent opportunity for consumers, providers, interpreters, advocates and administrators.  Lily will describe the development and challenges of the Los Angeles County’s model program on comprehensive language services implemented at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. 
Xavier will present the integration of services into multiple service delivery systems that are designed for the Limited English Proficient clients at Saint Joseph Hospital in Orange. This segment will illustrate how a multi-disciplinary approach to meet community needs can be accomplished by reviewing systems and structures to make sure they are attuned to the needs of the underrepresented and those who experience barriers to successful service delivery.

Session J

"Connecting Worlds": Training for Health Care Interpreters 

The five California community-based organizations funded by The California  Endowment to develop "Connecting Worlds: Training for Health Care Interpreters" will present their curricula and training tools.  Panelists will address the purpose and philosophy of the curricula, the process and challenges of development, the relationship to CHIA's Standards of Practice, and receive feedback on curricula needs from workshop attendees. 

Session K

How do we move toward certification?

What are administrative challenges to certifying healthcare interpreters for hospital / clinic settings? 

Click here for Nancy's PowerPoint presentation in Adobe PDF format (581KB - takes about 5 min to download at 28.8)

Could existing tests meet the needs of healthcare institutions?

This discussion will draw on the experiences of people involved in testing and would not endorse or reject any particular test.

Click here for Janet's PowerPoint presentation in Adobe PDF format
(154KB - about 90 seconds download at 28.8KB modem speed)

The future: Medical interpreting via video conferencing-
(presentation & demonstration)

One of the most challenging political, financial and logistical problems of access to healthcare in California has been the difficulty of delivering effective services to persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). The Health Access Videoconferencing Medical Interpretation (VMI) Project is to develop, pilot test, and evaluate the applicability, cost-effectiveness and cultural appropriateness of medical interpretation services provided via videoconferencing technology for diverse LEP patients at Alameda County Medical Center, Highland Hospital Campus and San Francisco General Hospitals.

(click here to download Sonia & Terry's PowerPoint presentation)
665 KB - about 6 min download