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By Jaime Stanford

Imagine you are in a country where they speak a language that you do not understand. Now imagine trying to find help in a busy hospital or clinic without having an effective means to communicate.

“Sometimes we take for granted that we can communicate on any level,” said Neila Rodriguez, owner of Tri-City Bi-Lingual Consulting, who works as an interpreter in Johnson City and at the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development in Kingsport.

For many in East Tennessee, the language barrier is a reality, but one that hospitals and clinics are trying to overcome for patients.

The number of Spanish-speaking patients has increased in recent years, said Brad Lifford, media relations coordinator for Wellmont Health Systems, which owns Holston Valley Hospital in Kingsport.

“We recognize it’s the responsibility of our hospitals to provide superior patient services to all patients,” said Lifford, “regardless of the language they speak.”

To better serve non-English speaking patients Holston Valley and Mountain States Health Alliance both have a telephone interpretation service called Language Line. Language Line makes interpretation services available for patients any time they are needed by connecting them to an interpreter working from home, said Ardis Nelson, professor in the department of foreign languages at East Tennessee State University.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that persons be protected “from discrimination based on their race, color, or national origin in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance.” This law is coming into play as the population of East Tennessee is growing and becoming more diverse.

Karen Childress, of Jonesborough, was a key person in helping temporary workers from Mexico to receive medical help. Childres was an outreach coordinator and medical interpreter for the Johnson City Downtown Clinic for four years. Every other Sunday, the clinic brought healthcare to the Scott Strawberry and Tomato Farm Inc. in Unicoi.

“They appreciated the help and advice for just the most basic pain relief,” said Childress. “Just to get some ibuprofen or to have someone tell them what to do so their knees wouldn’t hurt so badly was a real help for them.”

Childress recalled the genuine appreciation of the temporary workers on the Scott Farm to be able to get help for basic medical needs from someone who spoke their language. Childress said she believes that many do not seek medical advice because they are intimidated by the language barrier.

Before walking into a doctor’s office, Childress said she used to tell her patients that she would be their voice but they had to ask the questions.

“As an interpreter you’re just a conduit of language from one person to another,” said Childress. “We’re taught to be objective.”

While there is no certification program for medical interpreters in East Tennessee there is a code of ethics which includes “accuracy and completeness, confidentiality, impartiality, professionalism, cultural awareness and advocacy,” said Nelson, who is also the secretary for the Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators. While there has been talk of creating a certification program for medical interpretation closer to East Tennessee, currently those who want the credentials must travel to Memphis which has a 40-hour program for medical interpretation.

Many interpreters have in-house training at their place of employment. And some places, like Holston Valley, are going a step further and offering classes on Spanish for healthcare workers. However, one characteristic that the telephone interpretation service may lack is a human touch.

“To be an interpreter you have to really care about people and really want to help them,” said Rodriguez, who said she prayed for guidance in her career path.

Childress got close to many of her patients.

“I’ve been invited to all kinds of first birthday parties, baptisms and weddings,” said Childress. “Just from folks being thankful for what I did for them. You know, ‘Here’s the baby you helped me with.’ At least something I did made a difference in somebody’s life. What more could you hope for?”