Putting All the Pieces Together:
Identifying Languages Spoken
and Promising Practices for
Overcoming Language Barriers
2007 Federal Interagency Conference
on Limited English Proficiency
March 15-16, 2007

Presenters
Walter (Curt) Norris, Director of Employment
Diversity, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Susan Shah, Senior Planner, Center on Immigration and
Justice, Vera Institute of Justice
David M. Smiddy, ESOL/Volunteer Coordinator,
Clark County Literacy Coalition
Mara Youdelman Director, Language Access Advocacy
Project, National Health Law Program

Conducting a Self Assessment:
Understanding Demography
Analyses of census and
ACS data
State and city
departments of planning
Modern Language
Association
(www.mla.org)
Migration Policy Institute
(www.migrationinformation.org)

Conducting a Self Assessment:
Understanding Demography
Federal, state, and city departments of education
School accountability reports
Federal, state, and city departments of health
Vital statistics data
Municipal and state courts
Use of interpretersUse of interpreters

Conducting a Self Assessment:
Understanding Demography
Data from community (pros and cons)
Private research and marketing companies

Conducting a Self Assessment:
Measuring Nature and Frequency of
Contact
Promising Practices Reports by NHeLP from
The Commonwealth Fund
RPT. 1RPT. 1 - Small Providers (released 4/05)
examined how small providers (<10 clinicians)
offered language services:
Solo Practitioners and Small Group Practices
Community Clinics and Health Centers
Family Planning Clinics
Assistance to Small Providers from Other
Systems/Institutions

Conducting a Self Assessment:
Measuring Nature and Frequency of
Contact
RPT. 2RPT. 2 -State/Local Benefit Offices
(forthcoming): examined how state/local
health-related benefit offices offered
language services:
State central agency offices
Local agency offices

Conducting a Self Assessment:
Measuring Nature and Frequency of
Contact
Important to identify individuals being served and eligible to
be served
Measuring those being served can help to ensure needed
language services are available as well as planning future needs
Determining language needs at first points of contact
notations in schedule/patient records; language
notification flyers

Conducting a Self Assessment:
Identifying Language Needs
Identification of language needs
I Speakcards/posters patients can point to their
language and office staff can note
Recording language needs
L.A. Care Health PlanL.A. Care Health Plan color-coded stickers
designate language needsdesignate language needs
Womens Health and Education Centers notes
language needs in schedule and computer data
system

Conducting a Self Assessment:
Identifying Language Needs
WA Department of Social and Health Services
requires noting the clients primary language
in its computer systemin
KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services
collects language information and specifics on
each encounter using language services

Arizona
Department of Economic Security 
database does not
proceed past certain fields without
noting the clients language needs
clients are asked their
primary language at initial and renewal
interviews
includes 68 language choices plus an open-
ended option

Los Angeles County
Department of Public Social
Services collects language
information at initial
eligibility and renewals
County compiles a report to
show the number of LEP
individuals in the Medicaid
caseload, by language spoken,
served by each eligibility
office during the month

Identifying Available Resources
Need to identify both internal and external resources
NHeLP's Language Services Resource Guide for Healthcare
Providers helps identify external resources including
interpreter/translator associations and providers;
training programs; translated materials; symbols; etc.

Identifying Available Resources
Community Resources
ID Department of Health and Welfare contracts
with local community organizations
NC Division of Public Health is working with the
United Hmong Association to translate its fact
sheets
IL Department of Human Services funds the IL
Coalition on Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Community
Resources
DC Medical
Assistance
Administration
worked with
community advocates
to develop its I
Speakposter and
cards and a Know
Your Rights
pamphlet

Identifying Available Resources
 CASE STUDY: Clark County, October 2006
 The meeting
 The ideas
 The results

Identifying Available Resources
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Departments
Hispanic Interpreter Services Program (HISP)H

Background (HISP)
> Hispanic Population
 Between 1990 to 2000 the census bureau
estimated that the Clark County Hispanic
population was approximately 22%
 In 2002, the estimation had increased to
24%, and it was estimated that by the year
2008, Hispanics would account for 30% of
the Las Vegas population

Background Continued
> Acquisition of Funding
 In 2002, LVMPD, with the assistance of the
Latin Chamber of Commerce and Senator
Harry Reids office, submitted and
obtained a grant for HISP
 HISP is now a regular LVMPD budget item

Hispanic Interpreters Services
Program
> Created in 2003
> Currently staffed with 23 part-time civilian
employees (3 Leads)
> Provides oral and written language services
> Primary mode of communication between the
LEP community and LVMPD
> Language interpretation certification by
LVMPD only, no outside certification required
at this time
> Interpreters are fluent in various dialects of
Spanish, to include Cuban, Venezuelan,
Nicaraguan, El Salvadorian, and Chilean

HISP Continued
> Provides 24/7 Response to Patrol requests for
Spanish language access services
> Assist Communications call-takers with LEP
persons during 911 and non-emergency calls
> Provides LVMPD Spanish translation, and
transcription
> Assists with Directed Patrol assignments,
which involves LVMPD focusing on a problem
or issue specific to the Hispanic community
> Dispatched in the same manner as a police
officer (Radio)
> Responded to 5,000 calls for service in 2006

Ensuring Quality: User Training
Working With Interpreters
Working With Translators

Ensuring Quality:
Interpreter Training
Neponset Health Center (MA)  employs native
Vietnamese speakers trained as medical interpreters
through the MMIA or Mass. DPH
L.A. Care Health Plan 
offers medical interpreter training for bilingual staff of
participating clinics and medical groups
training for health care providers (for continuing medical
education credit) on how to work with interpreters

Ensuring Quality:
Assessing Bilingual Competency
St. Joseph Health System Community Health
Programs (CA) requires assessment of staff
providing services in non-English language or as
interpreter
North DeKalb Health Center (GA) requires all
bilingual staff to attend training sessions and pass test

Ensuring Quality:
Bilingual Staff
KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services  designated
Language Access Section with four trained interpreters
LA Cty. DPSS.  human resources division certifies
language skills of bilingual staffl
WA DSHS  bilingual employees can provide interpretation
only if certified as interpreters and documented in the
employees classification questionnaires
NE  developing language assessment test for self-declared
bilingual staff

Ensuring Quality:
Testing and Certification
No national standards for healthcare
interpreters/translators
National Council on Interpreting in Health Care
has National Code of Ethics and Standards of
Practice
Few states are exploring the issue IN, MA,NC, OR

Ensuring Quality:
Compensating Bilingual Staff
AZ Department of Economic Security offers a stipend
of $1,000 a year
NC Department of Health and Human ServicesN pays
bilingual employees at a higher grade level
LA Cty. Department of Public Social Services gives
$100 monthly to certified bilingual workers
KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services plans to pay
qualified bilingual employees at a higher pay level

Ensuring Quality:
Use of Contract Interpreters
KY Cabinet for Health and Family Service  qualifies
community partners (both individual interpreters and
language agencies) to interpret for the agency
WA DSHS  comprehensive process to certify contract
employees and only those who pass certification (in the
states seven most common languages) or assessment
(for other languages) may provide services to the
agency

Ensuring Quality Translations
NE uses designated translators with a degree
from translation program
ID Department of Health and Welfare works
with the Idaho Migrant Council and the
Hispanic Commission to review benefits forms
for appropriate Spanish translation

Ensuring Quality:
Developing a LEP Policy
Translating Justice Policy Development
Workshop with the LVMPD

LVMPD LEP Policy
Development Process
> Policy development workshop facilitated by
the Vera Institute
 Vera staff met with LVMPDs key policy
makers to discuss various issues and points
to developing a draft language access
policy
 Goal
 Inform and engage LVMPDs
administrators in the language access
planning process
 Elicit feedback on LVMPDs draft policy
 Discuss and resolve outstanding issues
in finalizing policy

Policy Development Process
Continued
> Internal approval process
 Distribution to mid-level managers forfeedback
 Presentation to LVMPDs Executive Staff
 Submission to Department of Justice (DOJ)

Ensuring Quality:
Seeking Community Input
Seek community input = seek input into the
community
 Get involved in collaborations and coalitions
 Use the synergy to get the word out

Questions?