Hospital Language and ASL Interpreters (H 7931, H 7932)

Ensuring people seeking medical care understand their diagnosis and treatment is important. That is why we supported two pieces of legislation that would preserve and strengthen access to language and communication services in healthcare settings, ensuring that individuals can properly understand and consent to their medical care.

H-7931 requires hospitals and emergency-care facilities to provide a certified, rather than qualified, interpreter for every non-English speaker, except for languages where certification is unavailable, and qualified interpreters may then be utilized.

H-7932 prohibits healthcare facilities from reducing their American Sign Language interpreter services absent approval from the Rhode Island Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Providing patients with access to accurately translated medical terminology limits the risk of miscommunication during diagnosis and treatment and ensures that informed consent is truly informed.