November 16, 2001

The Association of Multicultural Members of Partners was treated to an in-depth discussion about the importance of foreign language interpreter services in hospital emergency rooms at a special presentation Nov. 6. State representative Jarrett Barrios – chief sponsor of the Massachusetts Emergency Room Interpreter Bill – explained the reasoning and relevance of the law, which was passed in April 2000 and went into effect in July 2001.

"This bill provides for a standard of competent interpreter services in our hospital emergency rooms," Barrios said. "Each hospital knows its own patient population best and recognizes the importance of having someone on staff who can speak the most prevalent languages." The new law requires that all hospitals use interpreter services when treating non-English speakers in their emergency rooms and through their acute psychiatric services.

Hospitals base their interpreter systems on the volume and diversity of the language groups they serve. The bill also includes provisions requiring that all state medical care payers, such as Medicaid, must reimburse hospitals for their interpreter costs.

The bill seeks to identify medical interpreters as professionals who require specific training in medical terminology and ethics, as well as a solid grasp of a particular foreign language. Massachusetts is one of only two states in the United States to have such a law in place.

Patricia Rowell, director of MGH Volunteer and Interpreter Services, encourages MGH employees, patients and visitors to contact the department with questions related to interpreter services. "We're very proud of our staff and on-call interpreters," she says. "All of our interpreters are comprehensively tested. We've made our standard a top one."

For more information about MGH Interpreter Services, call (617) 726-6966.