HAMILTON, ON – Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) is expanding medical interpretation services for its patients and families thanks to a $900,000 commitment from the RBC Foundation. Medical interpretation platforms using on-demand video and audio services are currently being used to support patients and families inall in-patient, emergency, and diagnostic areas within the hospital. This donation will make it possible to expand this technology to over 300 ambulatory (out patient and clinic) services across all sites, as well.
"This medical interpretation technology will help ensure that everyone involved canask questions, resolve confusion, and have a clear understanding of the patient's needs and plan of care," says Maria Artuso, VP Commercial Services, Greater Hamilton, RBC. " Recognizing that approximately 27 percent of Hamilton residents have a first language other than English, this service is key to help provide inclusive health care for patients."
As one of Ontario’s largest andmost comprehensive health-care organizations, HHS recognizes the importance ofequity, diversity, and inclusion in delivering exceptional care to our diverse community of 2.3 million people. When it comes to interpretive services, HHS previously relied on in-person interpreters or phone services, however, these were time-consuming and often unavailable in a timely manner. This medical interpretation solution provides on-demand video and audio interpretation at the bedside – inless than 20 seconds on average – and in 240 languages, including American Sign Language.
“People are at their most vulnerable state when trying to access health services, andthe inability to speak in their native tongue to clinicians is an incredibly challenging barrier,” says Anissa Hilborn, CEO of the HHSF. “So, we’re extremely thankful to the RBC Foundation for this donation that will help us overcome this barrier and create a more seamless experience when accessing health care in our community.”
Media inquiries can be directed to:
WendyStewart
HamiltonHealth Sciences
stewartwen@hhsc.ca
