FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Contacts:
Keri Robinson
PR & Marketing Communication Manager
Language Services Associates
215.259.7000 X55356
[email protected]
Lisa Contreras
Sr. External Communications Consultant
Carondelet Health Network
520.349.1845
[email protected]
Carondelet Health Network & Language Services Associates Join Forces in a Continued Commitment to Eliminate Language Barriers
New Telephonic and Video Remote Interpreting Services for Limited English Proficient, Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Tucson, Ariz. – February 28, 2012 – Through a new partnership with Language Services Associates (LSA), Carondelet Health Network is expanding its language access plan to improve the quality of care its Limited English Proficient (LEP), Deaf and Hard of Hearing patients receive. The expansion includes the immediate availability of both Interpreting by Telephone and Video Remote Interpreting services at all Carondelet hospital facilities, including St. Mary’s, St. Joseph’s, Carondelet Heart & Vascular Institute and Holy Cross Hospital in Nogales, Ariz. Carondelet becomes the exclusive provider of LSA’s interpreter services among hospitals systems in Southern Arizona.
“We are very excited to enter into a new partnership with LSA for telephonic and video remote interpretation support,” said Odette Bolano, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Carondelet Health Network. “These new and improved language interpreter services will help to ensure our culturally and linguistically diverse patient population receives access to the same excellent care we provide to others in our community.”
Via LSA’s telephonic interpreter service, Carondelet’s clinical care teams will be able to access a medically qualified telephonic interpreter in over 200 language offerings in less than 30 seconds, eliminating any language barrier that may be present. With the dual handset phones, the clinician holds one handset and the LEP patient holds the other, allowing for efficient and rapid communication by all parties.
Carondelet will now be offering Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) services to both its hard of hearing and LEP patient populations. In addition to American Sign Language, video interpreters are available in Spanish and other language offerings. Video Remote Interpreting is accessible to the patients via a laptop computer, which is mobile and can be used in a wide variety of patient care settings, as needed (e.g., Emergency Department, surgery, post-operative care). The computer is moved to the patient’s bedside and, within minutes, the remote video interpreter appears on the screen. The patient and the clinician will be able to see and hear the interpreter as if he or she were right there in the room. To learn more about the language services available at Carondelet facilities, please visit www.carondelet.org.
About Carondelet Health Network
Located in Tucson, Arizona, Carondelet Health Network is a Catholic, non- for-profit healthcare system dedicated to responding to the health, prevention, education, and wellness needs of Southern Arizonans. Carondelet was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet 132 years ago. Carondelet’s Tucson facilities include St. Mary’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Carondelet Heart & Vascular Institute and Carondelet Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and in Nogales, Arizona, Carondelet Holy Cross Hospital. Carondelet family of services also include nearly 20 primary and specialty care offices, an ambulatory surgery center, several imaging centers, Hospice and Palliative Care, and a variety of other outpatient services. Carondelet Health Network is a ministry of Ascension Health, the nation’s largest Catholic, non-profit healthcare system. In Fiscal Year 2011, Carondelet provided nearly $52 million in Community Benefit to improve the health of our community and increase access to healthcare. More information about Carondelet Health Network is available at www.carondelet.org.
About Language Services Associates
For more than 20 years, Language Services Associates (LSA) has been facilitating foreign language communication and eliminating multicultural communication barriers across various industry segments, including healthcare, government, financial services, manufacturing, education and life sciences. With a focus on the latest innovations and newest technology solutions, LSA’s premier language-based services are completely customizable and have been designed to enhance the client’s overall experience, reduce costs and improve end-user efficiency and productivity. Founded in 1991 by Laura K.T. Schriver, who still holds the title of President and CEO, LSA is proud to offer a full range of language translation services and language interpreter services, including Translation and Localization, Video Remote Interpreting, INTERPRETALK® Interpreting by Telephone, Face-to-Face Interpreting, American Sign Language and Intercultural Consulting. With over 150 employees and a network of more than 5,000 independently contracted global Linguists, LSA fulfills the multicultural communication needs of more than 2,000 clients worldwide in over 200 language offerings. For more information on LSA, please call 800.305.9673 or contact us online at www.lsaweb.com.
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