HHS Office for Civil Rights Director Georgina Verdugo lauds the video for highlighting the rights of patients in getting access to crucial medical services. “Our goal is to ensure that all individuals, including those with limited English proficiency and those deaf or hard of hearing, have access to safe, quality health care, without facing unlawful discrimination,” says Director Verdugo.  “Effective communication between the patient and the health care professional is essential to achieving that goal.”

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs that receive federal funds; a failure to provide language access services for Limited English Proficient (LEP) persons may be a form of discrimination on the basis of national origin. Similarly, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which protects the rights of individuals with disabilities, requires health care organizations that receive federal funds to provide effective communication for patients who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires the same standards with respect to health care organizations without regard to their receipt of federal funds.

This closed captioned video streams from The Joint Commission’s Hospitals, Language, and Culture Web site at http://www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/HLC/. This page also includes related resources from the Hospitals, Language and Culture: A Snapshot of the Nation study, a cross-sectional, qualitative study of how 60 hospitals across the country provide health care to culturally and linguistically diverse patient populations, conducted by The Joint Commission with funding from The California Endowment. The video is also available at the Office of Civil Rights Web site at  http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/resources/specialtopics/hospitalcommunication/index.html.

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