We need your help!! As many people know, Seton hospitals in Travis county have always been accessible to our Hispanic community and have always provided patients with a medical interpreter if English is not their first language, as is their right. Starting on February 12, 2017 this right will be revoked and the medical attention they receive will be compromised. They will be left with a less-than-ideal way to express the reason for their visit, their medical history, and current medications to doctors and nurses. They will not be able to fully express themselves to their healthcare providers unless we do something about it. 

Patients and providers must demand the right to be heard. Patients must be able to access the help of on-site interpreters and to have consents and discharges explained in their language in order for them to understand and care for themselves after going home. Providers must be able to communicate quickly and efficiently to their patients to gain information to help them create a treatment plan. Having on-site interpreters is a win-win because it helps avoid further pain and suffering for the patients and readmissions and unnecessary costs for the facility.

While Seton has lauded "new technology," telephonic and video interpreter technology is not new and are the same unreliable services that currently are not used throughout the hospitals for the same reason. Remote interpreting is not appropriate for trauma situations, triage, patient education, consents, end-of-life scenarios, discharges, special needs patients, and written translations of discharge instructions unless an on-site interpreter absolutely cannot be available. Unreliable technology will now be the Seton standard.

iiNecesitamos su ayuda!! Como mucha gente sabe, los hospitales Seton en el condado de  Travis siempre han sido accesibles para nuestra comunidad hispana y siempre se les ha proporcionado a los pacientes el derecho de tener un interprete medico si el inglés no es su primer lengua. A partir de Febrero 2017 este derecho se les será arrebatado y su atención medica se vera comprometida en cuanto a la forma en la que expresen a los médicos y enfermeras la razón de su visita, su historia medica y padecimiento actual, de la misma manera que su voz no podrá ser expresada a sus cuidadores de la salud a menos de que hagamos algo al respecto.

Como pacientes podemos y debemos exigir el derecho de hacernos escuchar, de poder expresar libremente lo que decimos con ayuda de los interpretes médicos que actualmente los hospitales y las clínicas tienen, derecho de que nos sean explicadas nuestras indicaciones de alta para evitar re-admisiones y costos innecesarios, derecho a un interprete que facilite nuestras visitas, mismos que serán retirados del sistema si no hacemos nada al respecto. Si eres paciente de Seton, conoces a alguien que se haya beneficiado del trabajo de sus interpretes, ayudanos a difundir y firmar esta petición para que este derecho no nos será arrebatado de las manos.

 http://kxan.com/2017/01/31/seton-to-scale-back-on-site-interpreters-increase-virtual-translations/