HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1748

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

relating to language access.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The need for certified medical interpreters in various languages is growing.  Certified medical interpreters foster improved health care outcomes, patient safety, and patient/provider communication.  More hospitals and other health care facilities are required to have medical interpreters to obtain or maintain accreditation. 

     Although there are two national certifying agencies for medical interpreters, no individual from Hawaii has been certified to date.  A major obstacle to this certification has been the costs associated with the required forty-hour training to qualify for certification and to sit for the certification test.  The state of Oregon has addressed this issue by providing scholarships to train and develop its own pool of certified medical interpreters.

     Moreover, there are no medical glossaries in the primary foreign languages spoken in Hawaii, including Asian and Pacific Island languages.  Medical interpreters require medical glossaries to provide accurate and safe interpretation.

     The purpose of this Act is to:

     (1)  Develop a pool of certified medical interpreters in Hawaii by providing financial assistance for training and certification in medical interpretation from a nationally-recognized and accredited certification program; and

     (2)  Develop medical glossaries for the primary foreign languages spoken in Hawaii.

     SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $         or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the office of language access to develop a pool of certified medical interpreters in the primary foreign languages spoken in Hawaii by providing financial assistance to one hundred medical interpreters for training and certification in medical interpretation from a nationally-recognized and accredited medical interpreter certification program, to be paid directly to the certifying or training program on behalf of the award recipient; provided that award recipients shall provide      hours of uncompensated medical interpreter services to the State and state-funded agencies within two years of receiving certification from a nationally-recognized and accredited medical interpreter program.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $         or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the office of language access, in collaboration with the center for interpretation and translation studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and other language service providers, to develop medical glossaries for the primary foreign languages spoken in Hawaii.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2014.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

 

 


 


 

Report Title:

Office of Language Access; Language Interpreters; Appropriation

 

Description:

Appropriates funds for financial assistance for Hawaii interpreters for training and certification in medical or healthcare interpretation and for the development of medical glossaries in the primary foreign languages spoken in Hawaii.

 

 

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