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| Public Act 095-0667 |
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AN ACT concerning regulation.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The Language Assistance Services Act is amended | ||||
by changing Section 15 as follows:
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(210 ILCS 87/15)
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Sec. 15. Language assistance services. | ||||
(a) To insure access to
health care information and | ||||
services for
limited-English-speaking or non-English-speaking | ||||
residents and deaf residents,
a health facility must do one or | ||||
more of the following:
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(1) Review existing policies regarding interpreters | ||||
for patients with
limited English proficiency and for | ||||
patients who are deaf, including the
availability of staff | ||||
to act as interpreters.
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(1)
(2) Adopt and review annually a policy for | ||||
providing language assistance
services to patients with | ||||
language or communication barriers. The policy shall
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include procedures for providing, to the extent possible as | ||||
determined by the
facility, the use of an interpreter | ||||
whenever a language or communication
barrier
exists, | ||||
except where the patient, after being informed of the | ||||
availability of
the interpreter service, chooses to use a | ||||
family member or friend who
volunteers to interpret. The | ||
procedures shall be designed to maximize
efficient use of | ||
interpreters and minimize delays in providing interpreters | ||
to
patients. The procedures shall insure, to the extent | ||
possible as determined
by the facility, that
interpreters | ||
are available, either on the premises or accessible by | ||
telephone,
24 hours a day. The facility shall annually | ||
transmit to the Department of
Public Health a
copy of the | ||
updated policy and shall include a description of the | ||
facility's
efforts to
insure adequate and speedy | ||
communication between patients with language or
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communication barriers and staff.
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(2)
(3) Develop, and post in conspicuous locations, | ||
notices that advise patients
and their families of the | ||
availability of interpreters, the procedure for
obtaining | ||
an interpreter, and the telephone numbers to call for | ||
filing
complaints concerning interpreter service problems, | ||
including, but not limited
to, a
TTY number for persons who | ||
are deaf or hard of hearing
T.D.D. number for the hearing | ||
impaired. The notices shall be posted, at a
minimum, in the | ||
emergency room, the admitting area, the facility entrance, | ||
and
the
outpatient area. Notices shall inform patients that | ||
interpreter services are
available on request, shall list | ||
the languages most commonly encountered at the facility for | ||
which interpreter services
are available, and shall | ||
instruct patients to direct complaints regarding
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interpreter services to the Department of Public Health, | ||
including the
telephone
numbers to call for that purpose.
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(4) Identify and record a patient's primary language | ||
and dialect on one or
more of the following: a patient | ||
medical chart, hospital bracelet,
bedside notice, or | ||
nursing card.
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(5) Prepare and maintain, as needed, a list of | ||
interpreters who have
been identified as proficient in sign | ||
language and in the languages of the
population of the | ||
geographical area served by the facility who have the
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ability to translate
the names of body parts, injuries, and | ||
symptoms.
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(3)
(6) Notify the facility's employees of the language | ||
services available at the facility and train them on how to | ||
make those language services available to patients
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facility's commitment to provide
interpreters to
all | ||
patients who request them.
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(b) In addition, a health facility may do one or more of | ||
the following: | ||
(1) Identify and record a patient's primary language | ||
and dialect on one or more of the following: a patient | ||
medical chart, hospital bracelet, bedside notice, or | ||
nursing card. | ||
(2) Prepare and maintain, as needed, a list of | ||
interpreters who have been identified as proficient in sign | ||
language according to the Interpreters for the Deaf Act and | ||
a list of the languages of the population of the | ||
geographical area served by the facility.
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(3)
(7) Review all standardized written forms, | ||
waivers, documents, and
informational materials available | ||
to patients on admission to determine which
to translate | ||
into languages other than English.
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(4)
(8) Consider providing its nonbilingual staff with | ||
standardized picture and
phrase sheets for use in routine | ||
communications with patients who have language
or | ||
communication barriers.
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(5)
(9) Develop community liaison groups to enable the | ||
facility and the
limited-English-speaking, | ||
non-English-speaking, and deaf communities to insure
the | ||
adequacy of the
interpreter services.
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(Source: P.A. 93-564, eff. 1-1-04.)
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||
becoming law.
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