Health and Language Access Program

When your HIV-infected patient doesn't speak English - HIV Clinician

Why Are Language Services Important in Health Care? A Case For New Orleans (PDF)

Barriers to quality care are significant for all uninsured and underinsured residents of New Orleans. Individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) face the added difficulty of poor communication. Communication is a critical element of patient safety and quality care. Communication barriers between provider and patient lead to decreased use of preventive services, misuse of services, and higher rates of hospitalization and drug complications. The REACH NOLA Health and Language Access Project seeks to address the wider issue of access to quality care and disparities in health status for LEP individuals by eliminating barriers to effective communication.

The REACH NOLA Health and Language Access Program:

• Seeks to address barriers to healthcare, and improve healthcare access and quality of care among limited English proficient (LEP) individuals;
• Offers on-site training for medical providers and clinic staff regarding effective use of interpreters and managing an LEP encounter;
• Provides tools and resources to healthcare clinics and provider organizations for language access services and ongoing quality improvement;
• Provides consultation and technical services to healthcare clinics and provider organizations on development of language-friendly services.

Please contact 504-331-4071 or Katrina Badger to report specific situations where language has been a barrier to providing or receiving quality care. This will help us in our efforts to support local provider organizations to address this barrier in an ongoing manner.

Project Contact: Katrina Badger, MPH, GSW
Email: katrinabadger@reachnola.org

Health and Language Access Program Office:
1300 1/2 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 342-2940