Issue link: http://howardcc.uberflip.com/i/740238
14 Howard Community College CON-ED CONNECTIONS A Unique Heath Care Interpreter Certificate Program Responds to Community Need As a teenager, Lisette Albano watched her young friends accompany their immigrant parents to doctor visits. The reason? The teens served as interpreters, relaying complex medical information between the doctors and family members with limited English. A native of Cuba who moved to the U.S. at age 14, Albano advocates for a different approach today. "There is so much nuance to health care interpreting. Only a trained interpreter can offer the unbiased and knowledgeable assistance needed." Albano would know, as a recently trained instructor and coach in Howard Community College's new Health Care Interpreter Certificate Program. Supported by a grant from the Horizon Foundation, the new program teaches bilingual students how to effectively interpret in health care settings. The demand for interpreters is driven by increasing numbers of limited English proficient residents. Howard County, Maryland is a microcosm of this trend, where 18.2 percent of residents are foreign born and 22.5 percent speak a language other than English at home. The Horizon Foundation identified the need for health care interpreters after reaching out to local health care providers, non-English speaking community representatives, and educators to talk about health care barriers. Issues with interpretation rose to the top. "To have good health care, people must have good communication with their doctors and providers," said Nikki Highsmith Vernick, president and CEO of the Horizon Foundation. "In Howard County, we have great potential to develop a workforce of trained individuals right from our community to serve our community and improve care." Howard Community College, which reflects the diversity of its county with 104 different countries represented in its student body, proved to be the ideal education partner. "We set out to develop a rigorous, quality health care interpreter certificate program at HCC," said President Kate Hetherington. "We believe our program has some truly unique elements that sets it apart from anything else in the region and ensures our students are highly prepared and ready to start interpreting after certificate completion." Howard Community College started its first fourteen-week Health Care Interpreter Certificate program in fall 2016. Students who successfully complete the program will earn a Health Care Interpreter Certificate and be ready to work with patients and health care providers in a variety of settings.