title: Addressing language barriers: building response capacity for a changing nation.
abstract: The absence of universally available language services is a national healthcare system failure, the burden of which is suffered by patients with limited English proficiency and their healthcare providers. Conceptualizing mandatory provision of language access as an unfair, unfunded mandate ignores massive and fundamental social changes taking place. Overcoming language barriers is essential to safe, quality health care. This paper, informed by the experience of Hablamos Juntos, a national demonstration project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, argues that national and health industry investments are needed to develop population-based approaches supported by communication and information technology, and that these investments may prove useful to improving healthcare communication for English-speaking patients as well.
authors.affiliation: Hablamos Juntos II - Language Policy and Practice in Healthcare, Center for Medical & Education Research, UCSF Fresno, Fresno, CA, USA. ypartida@partidagroup.com
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Partida
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D054521:Cultural Competency / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005582:Foundations; D006078:Government Programs; D006801:Humans; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration; D014175:Translating; D014481:United States