Cultural Proficiency Tools

Resources for Implementing SB 853
On January 1, 2009, California Senate Bill 853 went into full effect. Under this legislation, sponsored by the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), health plans and health insurers are required to provide enrollees with interpreters and translated documents. They also must collect data on race, ethnicity, and language to address health inequities. CPEHN has created a Web page with valuable resources, including sample consumer notices, links to the HMO complaint line, and "I speak" cards. CPEHN has also prepared A Blueprint for Success: Bringing Language Access to Millions of Californians, documenting CPEHN's advocacy efforts spearheading SB 853 over nearly a decade.

Addressing Language and Culture: A Practice Assessment for Health Care Professionals
A panel of medical experts, convened by the California Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, developed this guide to help health care professionals incorporate language access and cultural proficiency into their practices. The publication is designed to assist medical practices in taking steps toward a complete language access system to provide the highest quality care possible to limited English proficient (LEP) patients.

Addressing Language Access in Your Practice: A Toolkit for Physicians and Their Staff Members
This 40-page toolkit is designed to assist physicians and their office staff in improving the language access capabilities of a medical practice. The toolkit includes practical information and is sponsored by the California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP) for 5 Continuing Medical Education credits. Sponsored by CAFP and its Foundation. Supported by The California Endowment.

Addressing Language Access in Your Practice: On-Site Assistance Pilot Project Report
The Language Access Curriculum Team visited six California practices during Summer 2006, and this report offers the findings of those visits. While not scientific, it does give health care professionals a look into the practice lives and office arrangements these physicians have implemented to address language access.

English-Spanish: Dictionary of Health Related Terms
The English-Spanish Dictionary of Health Related Terms includes nearly 14,000 terms related to anatomy, signs and symptoms, communicable disease, chronic disease, maternal and child health, nutrition, occupational health, environmental health, oral health, mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, and traditional medicine. It also includes terms related to disaster and emergency preparedness. A joint effort of the Health Initiative of the Americas, California Policy Research Center, University of California Office of the President, and the California Office of Binational Border Health, Department of Health Services.

Translation Services
This list of translation services was developed in response to questions from the Language Access On-Site Pilot Project teams. It is by no means exhaustive, and will be updated regularly. If you’d like to add services, please send information to srodrigues@medicalleadership.org.

Waiver Form
This is a sample waiver form for use with patients who waive the use of interpretation service provided by individuals who are not friends/family. It is recommended that if after being advised on the risks, patients elect to use friends/family over other trained interpreter services, that this form be filed in the records.