After releasing a Call for Proposals, HJ received an overwhelming number of Letters of Intent (LOI). Nearly 180 health care systems met the February 1 deadline. We received 176 LOI, from 40 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The response clearly indicates that this program has struck a chord across the industry and that language barriers are high on the list of concerns for health care providers. California providers responded enthusiastically to the program, with 24 providers submitting LOI, followed by New York (17), Texas (13), and Illinois (12).

Areas with new and rapidly growing Spanish-speaking populations were targeted. The program received media coverage in several of these areas, resulting in a higher response rate. Unfortunately, there were areas of the country where the Call for Proposals were received late due to the heightened screening of mail for Anthrax contamination. We are sorry this untimely event prohibited submissions by some organizations.

Regional breakdown numbers were also of interest. Using the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regional breakdown of the U.S., Region V, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, represented 18% of LOI received, the highest of any regions. Between 1990 and 2000, each state in Region V experienced a 50 to 200% increase in Latino population. The dramatic increase may account for the great interest in a program that addresses language barriers and health care access. Region IV, mainly southern states, experienced the highest percentage growth in the Latino population between these years, with most states experiencing over 200% growth.

Regional breakdown of LOI received:

For more information on the Letters of Intent and the grantmaking process, click here.

February 22 marked an important date in the Hablamos Juntos Program. Twenty-three invitations were sent to applicants across the United States asking for full proposals to become one of the ten Hablamos Juntos demonstration sites. Letters inviting full proposals were sent to 24 finalists (one joint application was solicited) and submissions will be expected April 26. The final grantee sites will be chosen in September and will represent a cross section of health care organizations. These organizations will reach a broad array of Spanish speakers.

Finalists are:

March 1 marked the beginning of a three-year term for our new HJ National Advisory Committee members. Members of the NAC will play an important role in the HJ program by participating in the proposal review process, attending Committee meetings, providing recommendations for the demonstration sites, and conducting site visits with staff from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Program Office. Their leadership and perspectives will be vital to the HJ program and we welcome our new members. They will also serve as spokespeople for the HJ program, bringing attention to the issue as well as advancing understanding of the solutions to language barriers in health care.

The NAC will meet for the firt time in May to review proposals received by April 26.

A central goal of the Scholars Network is to develop a science-base for interventions designed to eliminate language barriers in health care, so that models based on the best evidence to date can be identified. Currently, the Scholars Network is comprised on individuals with expertise in interpreting, Latino health, cross-cultural health care and related areas. A Steering Committee of ten has been convened to assist the National Program Office with the development of grant selection criteria and will guide the formation of the larger Scholars Network over the life of HJ.

The first meeting of the Scholars Network Steering Committee took place January 28-29, 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada with a second meeting following in March in Phoenix, AZ. Specifically, the Committee addressed the following issues: (1) What is the state of knowledge on language barriers and interventions in health care and in turn, where is more research needed? (2) What are the most common models for the provision of language access in health care settings? (3) What characteristics should demonstration sites possess? (4) What opportunities does HJ create for developing awareness of language barriers? and (5) What are the most effective as well as cost-efficient interventions that providers can use to address language barriers?

The activities of the Steering Committee and larger Scholars Network have just begun. This group will continue to grow and develop with Hablamos Juntos. The products of the research and discussions of this group, such as papers and literature reviews, will be made available on this website in the future.

Click here to link to "Scholars Network" page for more information.