Language Access Resource Center

All entities that receive federal financial assistance, including government agencies, human service organizations and private entities with government contracts,
must provide Limited English Proficient persons with meaningful and equal access
to their services. In order to do so, staff and contracted service providers
must be able to communicate effectively with them.

The Language Access Resource Center (LARC) offers an array of services including training to develop qualified interpreters, as well as interpretation and translation services, which began July, 2006. Further, the LARC is a source of information and advice for health care and human services organizations with questions about the best ways of meeting the needs of their more diverse customers.

In cooperation with the DuPage Language Access Coalition, the Federation has undertaken development of this important new resource to meet the needs of health and human services organizations who are struggling with the best ways to serve the diverse populations in DuPage County. Federal and state law, as well as best practice, requires these organizations to ensure that the linguistically diverse residents of the county have access to essential health and human services. To date, this program has trained over 100 interpreters, who are working in hospitals and human service organizations.

Addressing the diverse language and cultural needs of new immigrants is a challenge for both public and private health and human service providers. It is no longer possible to deliver quality health care as if all patients speak English. In DuPage County, 84,553 people over age 5 report that they speak English less than very well (U.S. Census, 2005). Immigration provided over 50% of the population growth in the decade between 1990 and 2000, and nearly all the growth since 2000. Of the County’s 913,386 residents, 164,343 or 18% are foreign-born (U.S. Census, 2004). The state's foreign born population is 12.3 percent. The 2000 Census data revealed that the immigrant population increased by 94.37 percent since 1990 (U. S. Census Bureau, 2000).

The Language Access Resource Center currently provides the following services:

Interpreter Services
The Language Access Resource Center (LARC) provides the services of trained medical interpreters in many languages including Spanish, Urdu, Tagalog, Swahili, French, Russian, Lithuanian, Serbian, Croatian, Polish, Korean and more. Trained interpreters will be assigned as requested.

Interpreter Training
Basic 80 hour training and 20 hour internship for bilingual individuals to learn skills, techniques, ethics, standards of practice, and terminology required for effective interpreting in various settings including medical, education, and human services.

Technical Assistance
The LARC provides assistance in the areas of policy development regarding language assistance services in a health care setting, creation of a culturally competent environment, and assessments of language proficiency for frontline staff.

Physician Training on Enhancing the Provider/Patient Conversation
Training focused on the Provider (or other clinical staff) and Patient (client) encounter and the skills of effectively utilizing a trained interpreter.

Resource Guides
Guides include languages assisted services offered in DuPage County and Medical Vocabulary covering English and Spanish medical terminology, colloquial terms, and definitions

Translations
Translations of documents and patient education materials

Informational / Education Programs
Educational programs for healthcare organizations, schools, community based organizations, and the community related to language assisted services and medical interpreting topics

Future Additional Services (Coming Soon):
Staff language proficiency testing

Upcoming Language Proficiency Assessment Dates in April 2008

About Language Access Resource Center Brochure (PDF)

Medical Training Interpreting Brochure (PDF)

For more information or to request an interpreter, please contact:

Linda Coronado, Program Director
Language Access Resource Center
lcoronado@dupagefederation.org
(630) 782-7544