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1993.11.10 :  Multi-Lingual Health Care Grants

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
Wednesday, Nov. 10, 1993 
Blake Crawford
(301) 443-5224

HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced the award of
$600,000 to 12 minority community-based organizations to support
pilot projects that will extend access to health services to
members of racial and ethnic minority communities who have limited
proficiency in understanding or speaking English.

"Finding a health care provider who understands one's own language
and culture can pose some of the most serious barriers to good
health care.  This is particularly so for newly arrived immigrants,
refugees and some native peoples," Secretary Shalala said. The
organizations receiving these grants will teach us important
lessons about expanding primary and preventive health care in a
multi-cultural society."

According to U.S. Census data for 1990, nearly 32 million
Americans, or 14 percent of the U.S. population, speak a language
other than English at home.  Some 14 million reported that they
speak English less than "very well."

The 12 projects, which are located in 10 states and the District of
Columbia, will assist people whose principal languages include
Spanish, Khmer (Cambodian), Chinese, Hmong, Laotian, Mien, Samoan,
Tagalog, Vietnamese, Choctaw, Cherokee and Hawaiian.

"These projects will reach out to vulnerable groups of people who
frequently have been unable to gain access to health care
services," said Philip R. Lee, M.D., assistant secretary for health
and head of the Public Health Service.  "Individual language
projects are targeting indigent children, developmentally disabled
children, the elderly, women of childbearing age and their
families, minority gay and bisexual men, immigrants and refugees as
among those facing language barriers."

Founded by the Public Health Service's Office of Minority Health,
the projects will develop and test cultural orientation and
training programs for physicians, nurses and other professionals;
the use of case managers and outreach workers from the racial and
ethnic communities being served; counseling, mentoring and support
group programs for limited-English-speaking clients; improvements
in translation and interpreting services; and school health
curricula.

Recipients of the one-year, $50,000 grants for bilingual and
bicultural health services, are:

ù    Conicilio Latino de Salud, Inc., Phoenix, Ariz.;
ù    Cambodian Association of America, Long Beach, Calif.;
ù    Asian Americans for Community Involvement of Santa Clara
     County, Inc., San Jose, Calif.;
ù    Hispanic Health Council, Inc., Hartford, Conn.;
ù    Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc., Washington,
     D.C.;
ù    Kalihi Palama Health Center, Honolulu, Hawaii;
ù    Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Philadelphia, Miss.;
ù    Puerto Rican Organization for Community Education and Economic
     Development, Inc., Elizabeth, N.J.;
ù    Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, Okla.;
ù    Dallas (Texas) Multicultural Alliance;
ù    Asian Counseling and Referral Service, Seattle, Wash.; and
ù    Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Association, Inc., Wausau, Wis.