Transcript:

Hello everybody! I’m Chad A. Ludwig and I am the President of Oregon Association of the Deaf. I wanted to talk with you about Salem Health Hospital and it is based in Salem. The Salem Health has many offices throughout metro Salem area. On Friday, January 28th, Salem Health asked me to meet with them. I look forward to the meeting as we started our relationship after we expressed our concern about their interpreting and accommodation service, which concern our community. The situations was embarked about 2-3 years ago and we had kept in touch through these time, the recent meeting was one of many contacts made between Salem Health and OAD.

During the meeting, we focused on two issues, the first issue is about the interpreting service coverage during night and weekend. The second issue, we discussed about some complaint that the hospital received about the gender of an interpreter. Currently, the Salem Health employed a full time interpreter who happens to be a male and what about having a female sign language interpreter? The female patients are concerned about having a male sign language interpreter whereas they preferred to have a female sign language interpreter. Salem Health and OAD discussed about these two issues, let’s talk about the second issue on male and female sign language interpreter. We engaged in a discussion as we bounced back and forth with some ideas and suggestion how the Salem Health can work through this issue. Now that we’ve covered the 2nd issue and let’s go back to the first issue about interpreter service coverage during night and weekend.

Salem Health is concerned about some patients are upset and expressed their serious concern with Salem Health for not providing on-site sign language interpreter during evening and weekend. We thoroughly discussed about this issue and I was able to learn few things. Salem Health have contract with about 5 different ASL and foreign speaking interpreter agencies, three of them are ASL-only interpreter agency and other two are foreign speaking interpreter agencies. The contract with these five agencies, when the patients arrive the hospital and request on-site ASL interpreter and express disinterest in having video remote interpreting station as it is readily available. The Salem Health did contact these five agencies and request for on-site ASL interpreter. The Salem Health still face challenge. The three ASL only interpreter agencies, two of them do not open after 5pm and only work from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday. How can the Salem Health get the interpreter service filled when they are closed. The 3rd ASL only interpreter agency can do night and weekend but sometime this agency cannot fill the job. The last two foreign speaking interpreter agency, the foreign speaking interpreter agency does have their own challenge. The ASL interpreter lives in a great distance and the interpreters are not willing to work during night and weekends. This present challenge to Salem Health as they continue to struggle in recruiting interpreter to work onsite during night and weekend.

The Salem Health is put in a position that they need to use video remote interpreting station while they await for confirmation to having onsite interpreter come and work with the Salem Health during these hours, night and weekends. We discussed about this challenge, we shared some idea and we looked into some potential solutions to overcome the challenge, the Salem Health appreciate the discussion and they will take a look at these suggestion. Salem Health share their gratitude and they wanted me to share this information with you. Salem Health do not want to deny your request for onsite ASL interpreter request, they do want to offer you the service and they are just stuck. Salem Health strive to work and improve the communication accessibility for their patients and they have a goal to make sure their patients are satisfied with communication service provided by Salem Health.

Salem Health and OAD discussed these issues and they will work through on some information that unfolds during the meeting. Salem Health will continue to seek for solutions and we will meet again within next 2-3 months to follow up on how they are doing with these issues, we will examine the accomplishment and area for need to improve. OAD wants share with you that Salem Health do recognize and are aware about the concern presented to them by the community, they thanked you and encourage you to continue share your commendation and concern with Salem Health about anything that patient might have on accommodation, service, and so forth. Thank you for watching this video.