The Texas Association of Healthcare Interpreters and Translators Launches 'Interpreters Save Lives' Campaign
With the release of the public service announcement 'Interpreters Can Mean the Difference Between Life or Death', the Texas Association of Healthcare Interpreters and Translators officially launces their 'Interpreters Save Lives' campaign.
- Houston, TX (1888PressRelease) August 31, 2010 - The Texas Association of Healthcare Interpreters and Translators (TAHIT) officially launched their 'Interpreters Save Lives' awareness campaign with a co-branded public service announcement (PSA) produced by Fluency, Inc. of Sacramento, California.,
The co-branded 90 second video features an English-speaking woman entering an emergency department with her infant child who has a temperature of 105 degrees. Unfortunately no one in the emergency department speaks English and, as the frantic woman frustratingly attempts to communicate, the viewer is left feeling panicked and uncomfortable.
The video may be viewed online at http://www.youtube.com/user/TAHITonline
The TAHIT/Fluency video is representative of what occurs in hospitals across the state of Texas every day. At 15% of the Texas population, Texas features the 2nd largest limited English proficient population in the United States. 33% of the Texas population speaks a language other than English in the home . Not communicating to an individual in their native language contributes to the over $73 billion dollars lost annually due to poor health literacy . The Joint Commission, the largest healthcare accreditation organization in the US, states that over 63% of all sentinel events involve communication . A sentinel event is an event resulting in death or serious physical or psychological injury to a patient or patients
The TAHIT/Fluency, Inc video clearly showcases the impact of language access on patient services and the potential risks associated with not providing a qualified medical interpreter. It is important to recognize that while not shown the video also addresses the unseen aspects of the business case that justify proper linguistic access including unnecessary tests and increased wait times.
Proper linguistic access includes a comprehensive strategy of document translation, over-the-phone and remote video interpreting, as well as face-to-face/on site interpreting by qualified and trained professionals.
The PSA is free for use by healthcare organizations across the State of Texas and its use is encouraged in training and awareness programs.
For more information on the TAHIT 'Interpreters Save Lives' campaign or to receive a copy of the TAHIT branded PSA please contact:
Doug Green
Director of Outreach
Texas Association of Healthcare Interpreters and Translators (TAHIT)
Tel. 713-817-1260
dougegreen ( @ ) gmail dot com
www.tahit.us
To receive more information on how your organization can receive a co-branded version of the PSA, please contact:
Lisa Spagnoli
Fluency, Inc.
Tel. 916.501.7982
Lisa ( @ ) gofluently dot com
www.gofluently.com
Fluency, Inc. provides language service agencies with powerful, Internet-based management solutions. For more information on Fluency, Inc. and their products, you may visit www.gofluently.com.
###
space
space
Satisfied Users & 
Approved Press Releases
Print
Email
Report Spam