Hospital Translations

Tools

Story Published: Jul 5, 2008 at 7:52 PM MST

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 10:44 PM MST

By Rick Montañez

Video

The summer months means more visitors to east Idaho and western Wyoming. But with all the outdoor activities in this area, that means local hospitals also see an increase in patients from either out of town or out of the country. Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter rick Montañez looks at a very valuable tool EIRMC uses to break the language barrier.

When a patient is rushed to the hospital, there are often only minutes that can make the difference between life and death.

"You need to be able to communicate with your medical provided."

That's why the folks at EIRMC provide you with this phone, it gives you access to a call center where hospital staff can find someone who speaks any one of these several dozen languages.

"You pick up the hand set, hand somebody else the head set and push a button."

So if you're family from out of town doesn't speak English but you're too hurt to talk, they can find someone to translate your medical history.

"Its important for the facility to be able to access that medical history, allergies. All those type of things can make a difference between life and death really."

A while back EIRMC doctors felt like they hit a wall when an African patient couldn't exactly tell them what language he spoke.

"We needed a way to communicate with patients who might speak languages that are really, really unfamiliar to us."

But after using the interpreter services, they narrowed it down, and saved the patients life.

"A lot of people don't think we're very diverse, but I think that they're mistaken, especially here in the hospital, we see a lot of different nationalities came through."

Different nationalities from different people, who will live to see another day because of this service.

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