Colorado hospital trains bilingual staff to fill interpreter gap

A rural Colorado hospital is training its existing bilingual staff to serve as medical interpreters, the hospital said.

The hospital said the move aims to address a shortage of qualified interpreters. Without such services, non-English speakers can face poor — even fatal — health outcomes, the hospital said.

The program converts current bilingual employees into credentialed interpreters through hospital-run training, officials said. The training is intended to ensure clearer communication between clinicians and patients who do not speak English.

The hospital said the initiative is meant to improve patient safety and access to care in the rural community it serves.

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