The California Health Care Safety Net Institute has been funded by The California Endowment to continue its efforts to assist public hospital systems in improving language access. See the PowerPoint Presentation by Wendy Jameson, SNI Director, on the trajectory of language access improvements in California public hospitals. Following the project in 2004-2005 to develop Straight Talk: Model Hospital Policies and Procedures on Language Access, SNI’s current initiative, Advancing Public Hospitals Along the Language Access Continuum, will expand upon this important work of improving language access policies, procedures and practices over the next two years. SNI will continue to work with Melinda Paras and Paras & Associates, a nationally known expert on improving hospital-based language services, and with SNI’s Language Access Advisory Committee.

The SNI Language Access Continuum project will include the following two components. First is a Language Access Policy and Procedure Review that offers an opportunity for hospitals to conduct a review of their policies, procedures and real practices. Hospitals applying for and being accepted for the Reviewer Hospital process will hold one-on-one meetings between the Paras & Associates consultants and the senior leadership of the hospital to review the model policies and procedures, as well as their own, and develop a plan for improvement.

Second, there will be a Language Access Implementation component, which will allow hospitals that have participated in the Policy and Procedure Review process to gain additional consulting support from Paras & Associates and financial support for proposed language access improvements.

Another example of critical parterships is CAPH and SNI's involvement in the Medical Leadership Council on Cultural Proficiency (MLC), which is funded by The California Endowment. Since 2002, the MLC represents leadership from provider organizations representing hospitals, health plans, medical and specialty societies and has developed a statement of policy principles on cultural proficiency to serve as guidance for their respective organizations' public policy and educational activities.  As a member of the Council, SNI is considering adopting these “Public Policy Principles for Improving Cultural Proficiency and Care to Minority and Medically Underserved Communities.”