Accurate communication between patients and healthcare professionals is an essential part of proper healthcare. However, millions of people in the United States face barriers to health care due to limited English language skills.
When a health professional speaks or understands only English, it is difficult for non-English speakers to communicate their needs. This can also make it difficult for the doctor to communicate effectively about diagnosis and treatment.
In this article, we’re sharing resources to help you find bilingual health professionals and other health organizations in your area.
Community organizations can help you connect with local hospitals, doctor’s offices, and other health professionals who offer bilingual services. If you have concerns about reaching these organizations, know that they often have staff or volunteers available to speak to you directly in your own language.
You can find community organizations near you by doing a quick Google, Facebook, or local newspaper search. Once you have more information about these organizations, you can call or visit them for help finding bilingual health services in your city.
Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act requires health insurance plan providers to help people with limited English language skills. In many cases this means granting access to Language assistance services. These include:
- telephone interpreting services
- trained professional interpreters
- bilingual interpreters
- Family members as interpreters
- Printed matter in several languages
Contact your health insurance provider directly for more information on the bilingual services they offer. Your health insurance card should have a toll-free number.
If you speak one of the Top 15 languages Resources in your own language are likely available in your state. Even if you don’t speak any of these languages, ask your provider if there are professionals on your network who speak your own language.
Online search engines are a great place to find bilingual health professionals in your area. For example, companies like ZocDoc You can search for local professionals and filter by spoken languages.
Such online medical search engines are a quick and easy way to find doctors, dentists, and other bilingual health professionals. If you don’t have online access at home, contact your local library. They usually provide free access to computers and network services.
You can also contact local or national organizations that specialize in health care for non-English speaking communities. For example, here are two national organizations that can help if you speak Spanish as a native language:
- National Hispanic Health Alliance. The National Hispanic Health Alliance Opened in 1973 in Los Angeles, California. This organization works with communities to provide services – including bilingual support – to millions of people in the United States.
- Hispanic Access Foundation. The Hispanic Access Foundation Provides Latinos in the United States with resources for healthcare, employment, and more. This organization is pushing for programs and community changes that can benefit Latinos.
Su Familia: The National Hispanic Family Health Helpline is a project of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. This confidential hotline provides people with assistance on a variety of health issues, including access to over 13,000 professionals in their communities.
The National Hispanic Family Health Helpline is free and has specialists who speak both Spanish and English.
Your family health helpline
Call 866-783-2645 toll free Monday through Friday (9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST).
Trained interpreters help people speak to doctors and nurses about their health problems in their own language.
According to Data A survey by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of over 4,700 medical professionals found that around 33 percent had trained interpreters in their staff.
If no interpreters are available, bilingual staff may take the place of interpreters to help non-English speakers communicate. Before your appointment, contact your doctor for information on interpreting services for your own language.
If interpreting services are not available, you can ask if a bilingual operator is available instead. If both options aren’t available, a family member or friend might be the next best option.
Family members and friends can also help you find bilingual healthcare professionals in your area. A close family member or friend may already have a list of medical professionals they have used who speak your language. Or they know organizations in the area that can help you find a specific doctor for your health needs.
In some cases, a family member or close friend can even act as an interpreter for you during medical appointments. Your doctors, dentists, and other healthcare professionals can provide more information on how to make this happen.
When you don’t have insurance
If you don’t have health insurance, the following organizations provide access to inexpensive or free health care:
- Healthcare.gov. The Find a health center The website is a useful tool for finding community health centers near you. Community health centers provide low-income households with low-cost health services, including maternity and primary care.
- Hill Burton Facilities. The Health Resources and Services Management (HRSA) has a list of facilities required to provide a certain number of free or low cost services. Hill Burton health care is available in certain hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care facilities.
- Free clinic directory. The Free clinic directory provides information on free clinics in the US. The number of clinics on offer ranges from staggered and low-income to completely free.
You can also contact your local organizations for more information on low-cost or free health options in your area.
Proper health care requires accurate communication between health professionals and their patients. For this reason, it is important that people with limited English language skills have access to bilingual medical professionals.
Local and national organizations can help you find healthcare professionals in your area who speak your own language.
If you speak Spanish and are looking for bilingual professionals, contact Su Familia: The National Hispanic Family Health Helpline for more information on where to start.
