2) Help! I can't communicate with my patient! How do I get an interpreter and what other resources are there?

Bellevue Hospital

• Staff should initiate inquiries about a person's language proficiency. Language Identification cards are available and may be used to help identify the patient's language. After the patient selects a language, contact the Interpreter Services Department ext. 7556 for an interpreter (between the hours of 9am-5pm). The patient should also be informed of their right to an interpreter free of charge. If the interpreter that you need is not available or if it is after 5pm, call the operator ext. "0" and you will be connected to a Language Line Interpreter Ext. "0" then you will be connected to a Language Line Interpreter.
  
  
• In addition Bellevue Hospital Center has created a dramatically different and improved program that enables people with limited English proficiency to communicate with English speaking health care providers using their words, directly, as English-speaking patients do. It is called TEMIS for Team/Technology-Enhanced Medical Interpreting System. TEMIS is available to Bellevue Hospital Center's emergency services; ambulatory care clinics and a number of inpatient and procedure areas.
  

Tisch Hospital

• There is an in-house Chinese interpreter, Ka Kam Chui ("K K") who can be reached at pager 1076. K K is available Monday through Friday, 9-5, speaks Cantonese, Mandarin and a few other dialects. He can also make special arrangements for off-hours interpreting.



• For other languages, or if K K is not available during business hours (M-F, 9-5), call the Patient Representative's office at 212-263-6906. They can make arrangements with an interpreter service agency, Metropolitan, for an interpreter. Advanced notice will help in locating an interpreter.
  
  
• Sign language interpreting is available Monday-Friday, 9-5, by calling extension 30101.



• For after hours interpreter services, call the Nursing Leadership office at 212-263-5760. They have access to the Language Line services.

VA Medical Center

• Translation phones are available at all sites, most of them are kept in the WHEN Nursing Office.




• Staff can obtain the phones from a WHEN Office and bring it to a patient's room or wherever they need to use it. When plugged into a single line phone jack, the phone can be used to access a live person who can translate.



• Instructions should be available with each phone.



• IRM is responsible for making sure the phones are working.

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