Press Releases

For more information, contact:
Andrea Daitz, RWJF (609)627-5937
Yolanda Partida, Hablamos Juntos (213)743-1556

NINE COMMUNITIES SELECTED TO IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS THAT ELIMINATE COMMUNICATION ROADBLOCKS

Princeton, N.J., October 14, 2003 – Seeking to enable English-speaking doctors and hospitals to communicate more effectively with their Spanish-speaking patients, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has awarded grants to nine organizations through its Hablamos Juntos: Improving Patient-Provider Communication for Latinos national program. “Hablamos Juntos” translates from Spanish to English as “We Speak Together.”

Patients who speak little or no English often have trouble conveying their health concerns to their doctor or understanding what the doctor or nurse is saying in response. Frustrated, one in five does not seek care; some are reluctant to return to health care providers they can’t understand – at the risk of their own health. Others drive great distances to seek care from a provider who speaks their language.

“People with a limited ability to communicate in English face significant barriers to quality health care and health outcomes in the United States,” said Pamela Dickson, senior program officer at RWJF. “As the nation becomes more diverse, we need to take steps toward solving this problem now. Our hope is that the projects developed through the Hablamos Juntos program will ultimately serve as models for other language groups.”

Last year, each of the grantees (see attached list) received a one-year planning grant to design innovative and affordable approaches to improve patient-provider communication, including language interpretation services, printed materials and signage. The latest round of funding will allow the organizations to implement the models proposed.

“As the demographics of local communities change; doctors and hospitals are finding their patient base changing too,” said Yolanda Partida, Hablamos Juntos national program director. “In the absence of language services, health care providers will often run more tests to reach a diagnosis and in the face of uncertainty may choose hospitalization unnecessarily.”

The Hablamos Juntos sites will develop practical approaches that hospitals and doctors across the country can use to increase the availability and quality of interpreters and Spanish language capability, develop Spanish materials, and create easy-to-understand ways for non-English speaking patients to navigate health care facilities. This will include testing a newly developed system of symbols for health signage that may be more effective at guiding patients.

“Although some providers are hiring bilingual staff to help bridge the language gap, more are relying on family and friends as interpreters and communication strategies such as speaking slowly, drawing pictures and using hand gestures or handing out printed materials,” said Partida. “These efforts, however, may not be enough.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 47 million Americans – nearly one in five – speak a language other than English at home. The Spanish-speaking population rose by 62 percent between 1990 and 2000 to 28.1 million.