Education Commons^™

Voicing Diversity: Creating Space To Listen In The Healthcare System, Margaret Foster

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Throughout the United States over 20 million people do not speak English as their primary language. As part of legislation and The Joint Commission, health care organizations are required to provide interpreter and translation services to individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). Through the provision of language services health care professionals can provide quality care that is patient centered and culturally sensitive to the needs of families. As communities continue to be transformed and become multicultural so too the healthcare system needs to transform, growing resources that empower and educate patients helping them navigate the healthcare system.