Sec. 19a-490i. Interpreter services and linguistic access in acute care hospitals. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 19a-490i. Interpreter services and linguistic access in acute care hospitals. Each acute care hospital in this state shall:

      (1) Develop and annually review a policy on the provision of interpreter services to non-English-speaking patients;

      (2) Ensure, to the extent possible, the availability of interpreter services to patients whose primary language is spoken by a group comprising not less than five per cent of the population residing in the geographic area served by the hospital;

      (3) Prepare and maintain a list of qualified interpreters;

      (4) Notify hospital staff of the requirement to provide interpreters to non-English-speaking patients;

      (5) Post multilingual notices of the availability of interpreters to non-English-speaking patients;

      (6) Review standardized forms to determine the need for translation for use by non-English-speaking patients;

      (7) Consider providing hospital staff with picture and phrase sheets for communication with non-English-speaking patients; and

      (8) Establish liaisons to non-English-speaking communities in the geographic area served by the hospital.

      (P.A. 00-119.)