The California Healthcare Interpreting Association is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to improving the quality and availability of language services in the delivery of healthcare. CHIA is here to help you the student, interpreter, healthcare provider, administrator, and language agency. We are ”Healthcare interpreters and providers working together to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers to high-quality care.” Please take a few minutes to register as a user of chiaonline.org. With your registration, you will have access to resources such as the Job Board and expanded Resource Corner (coming soon).
CHIA Education Committee Announces Training of Trainers in Merced, California
The CHIA Education Committee has been conducting a series of Training of Trainers since 2008 and is proud to announce an additional TOT on July 11th at Mercy Merced Medical Center at Merced, California from 10 to 5 p.m. The trainers will be Julie Burns, Tatiana Vizcaino Stewart and Carmen Castro-Rojas. Lunch and a mileage stipend will be provided to a limited group of 10 participants. Attached please find the application; it needs to be return to Don Schinske no later than Wednesday June 24, 2009.
We are looking for active CHIA members who have plenty of experience presenting to administrators and providers and feel comfortable representing CHIA in front of administrators and providers.
As more events and meetings mark the path toward a national certification for healthcare interpreters, CHIA continues to be involved but cautious, and remains optimistic that out of the various efforts an appropriate certification for the field will emerge.Our participation in efforts and events does not necessarily imply an endorsement of any particular effort.Rather, in our role as a multi-stakeholder organization with multiple constituencies, CHIA wishes to remain engaged with all parties in the field.
On May 1, two committee members of the National Coalition for Health Care Interpreter Certification – 2008 Board President Elizabeth Nguyen andBoard member Jonathan Levy – presented on the NCC’s certification work on an open conference call of the National Council on Interpreting in Healthcare.Our engagement with the NCC will continue, with 2009 Board President Margarita Bekker and Executive Director Don Schinske serving as delegates.
Also on May 1, President Bekker attended the National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum in Denver, an annual event hosted by Language Line Services and which promotes the certification process being developed jointly by LLS and the International Medical Interpreters Association.
Whether the NCC and LLS/IMIA efforts do merge or instead travel their own paths, CHIA will chart its own course, one that directors and members believe best meets the interests of the field, CHIA members, and California’s limited-English-speaking patients.
