April 11, 2014
State Rep. Bobby Sanchez praised House passage of a bill he championed and which has been one of his legislative priorities this session. House Bill 5385, An Act Concerning Language Interpreters in Hospitals passed with a 139 to 6 vote.
“I am grateful to my colleagues, Rep. Susan Johnson (D-Willimantic) and Senator Terry Gerratana (D-New Britain), Chairs of the Public Health Committee for their support and understanding in raising this bill,” Rep. Sanchez said. “I have been hearing from constituents across the state about their frustrations in dealing with emergencies and health care in hospitals because their lack of English speaking skills, including cases of relatives trying to translate medical terminology to others without thorough understanding."
The measure will require hospitals in the state to maintain qualified interpreters to ensure an interpreter is available for patients whose primary language is not English and to post multilingual notices informing patients of the new service.
The law applies to geographic areas where at least 5% of the population speaks a particular language and resides within the area served by the hospital. Current law requires hospitals to provide interpretation only to the extent possible.
Rep. Sanchez said, “This legislation is critical for individuals who don’t have options to have family members with them at the time of hospital service, particularly when it relates to following up after surgery, dietary recommendations or at the time of hospital discharge. Often times, they go home without a clue about what they need to do in order to improve their condition.”
The bill now heads to the Senate for action before the end of the legislative session on May 7.