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Industry Note: Language Barriers are Healthcare Access Barriers 10/20/2009

There is evidence that language barriers are also barriers to the provision of healthcare services. For reasons ranging from human rights to legal, financial and risk management considerations for healthcare providers and facilities, language services are increasingly becoming as essential as healthcare services themselves. In the case of patients with limited English (or French) language proficiency, the right to know and understand everything related to the healthcare services being provided can only be preserved through language services.

Back in 2000, President Clinton signed Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency”, which requires US federal agencies to identify any need for services to persons with limited English proficiency (LEP), and develop and implement a system to provide those services so LEP persons can have meaningful access to them. More recently, in the context of his initiative to reform healthcare in the United States, President Obama’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 (currently under consideration in the House of Representatives) contemplates adopting a payment methodology for on-site interpreters. This further acknowledges language services as essential to the provision of healthcare services.

The 2009 report of the Ontario Health Quality Council identified language barriers as a key issue in the provision of healthcare services in Ontario, where one in seven people reported language barriers as a problem. A number of healthcare facilities in Canada have programs in place to make language services available to patients who need them.

The main purpose of Able Translations Ltd. is bridging language barriers by enabling people to communicate. We are proud of the services that we provide and our ongoing contribution to the development of the language industry in Canada. We look forward to continuing to work with the public and private sectors to improve access to healthcare through high-quality language services.