Annotation: This plan establishes a strategy for ensuring meaningful access by individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) to programs and activities administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in in accordance with Executive Order 13166, Improving Access to Services For Persons With Limited English Proficiency, issued in August 2000. The plan includes a definition of the HHS language access policy based on the following essential elements: assessment of needs and capacity, oral language assistance services, written translations, policies and procedures, notification of the availability of language assistance at no cost, staff training, assessment of access and quality, stakeholder consultation, digital information, and grant assurance and compliance. Each of these ten elements are defined, and actions steps for implementation are provided.

Contact: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20201, Telephone: (202) 619-0257 Secondary Telephone: (877) 696-6775 Web Site: http://www.hhs.gov Available from the web site.

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Keywords: Federal programs, Guidelines, Language barriers, Limited English speakers, Public policy, Strategic plans

Annotation: This brief examines recent trends, national and for each state, related to grandparents who live with grandchildren. In addition to presenting data in tabular form about grandparents living with children, those responsible for the care of grandchildren, percentage of co-resident grandparents responsible for the care of children, percentage of those responsible for care of grandchildren in povery, percentage of people ages 35 and older in poverty, and percentage or responsible grandparents with limited English, the brief provides an overview and discusses variations by state. Information about the data used is included.

Contact: Child Trends, 7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1200W, Bethesda, MD 20814, Telephone: (240) 223-9200 E-mail: Web Site: http://www.childtrends.org Available from the website.

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Keywords: Children, Families, Family structure, Grandparents, Limited English speakers, Low income groups, Poverty, Statistical data, Trends

Annotation: This Web site hosts a toolkit designed to help health care organizations enhance their communications with limited English proficiency patients. The toolkit provides assistance for designing translation briefs, creating translations, and assessing the quality of translations. The toolkit specifically provides information for creating informed consent forms. Other resources hosted here include links to translator services, examples of translations, glossaries and dictionaries, and professional associations.

Contact: Hablamos Juntos, UCSF Fresno Center for Medical Education and Ressearch, 155 North Fresno Street, Fresno, CA 93701, Telephone: (559) 241-6509 Fax: (559) 241-6532 E-mail: info@hablamosjuntos.org Web Site: http://www.hablamosjuntos.org Available from the website.

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Keywords: Communication, Culturally competent services, Limited English speakers, Migrant health, Spanish language materials, Translations

Annotation: This policy brief assesses emerging national efforts and work in three leading states -- California, Minnesota, and New York -- to highlight challenges, successes, and implications for future policy and activities related to language services in health care for those with limited English proficiency. In addition to information about the three states, topics include national awareness and activity, movement at the state level, and lessons learned.

Contact: Mathematica Policy Research, P.O. Box 2393, Princeton, NJ 08543-2393, Telephone: (609) 799-3535 Fax: (609) 799-0005 E-mail: info@mathematica-mpr.com Web Site: http://www.mathematica-mpr.com Available from the website.

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Keywords: California, Health services, Language barriers, Limited English speakers, Minnesota, New York, Public policy, Social services, State programs

Annotation: This report outlines areas of opportunity relating to preparing new culturally and linguistically competent MCH leaders and increasing diversity among future MCH leaders in the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) funded training programs.

Contact: National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, P.O. Box 571485, Washington, DC 20057-1485, Telephone: (202) 687-5387 Secondary Telephone: (800) 788-2066 Fax: (202) 687-8899 E-mail: cultural@georgetown.edu Web Site: http://nccc.georgetown.edu Available from the website.

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Keywords: Cultural competence , Ethnic groups, Federal programs, Limited English speakers

Annotation: This report summarizes what the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved learned when, in 2007, it surveyed its member clinicians, health care clinics, and clinical networks about the problem of limited information on the language service issues that primary care clinicians, nonclinical staff, clinic managers, and administrators confront daily in providing services to individuals with limited English proficiency. The report provides background and discusses organizational and practice issues (interpreter services, problems referring patients, competing language needs, and cost issues) and the clinic visit (patient intake and triage and clinician-patient communication).

Contact: National Health Law Program, 1441 I Street, N.W., Suite 1105, Washington, DC 20005, Telephone: (202) 289-7724 E-mail: nhelp@healthlaw.org Web Site: http://www.healthlaw.org Available from the website.

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Keywords: , Communication, Costs, Language barriers, Limited English speakers, Primary care, Referrals, Service delivery, Surveys, Underserved communities

Annotation: This document comprises a chart offering citations to, and a short description of, each state's laws regarding services to limited English proficiency persons in health care settings. The chart updates and replaces the list of state laws first published by the National Health Law Program in August 2003 as part of its language access manual, Ensuring Linguistic Access in Health Care Settings: Legal Rights and Responsibilities. Highlights of activities related to addressing language access in health care settings over the last two years are presented in an introduction to the chart.

Contact: National Health Law Program, 1441 I Street, N.W., Suite 1105, Washington, DC 20005, Telephone: (202) 289-7724 E-mail: nhelp@healthlaw.org Web Site: http://www.healthlaw.org $25.00, includes shipping and handling.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Health care, Legal responsibility, Limited English speakers, Patient rights, State legislation

Annotation: This summary presents the results of a 50-state survey examining the nature and extent of health laws that were enacted to protect the needs of limited-English-proficiency persons as these needs apply to reproductive health services. The summary includes a narrative section briefly describing laws reflecting the following interests: (1) consent form legislation, (2) family planning legislation, (3) AIDS education legislation, (4) cancer treatment and reproductive organ health options legislation, (5) maternal and infant health information legislation, and (6) right to know legislation. The remainder of the summary is a chart that illustrates state law requirements addressing language needs in reproductive health care.

Contact: National Health Law Program, 1441 I Street, N.W., Suite 1105, Washington, DC 20005, Telephone: (202) 289-7724 E-mail: nhelp@healthlaw.org Web Site: http://www.healthlaw.org $25.00, includes shipping and handling.

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Keywords: AIDS, Access to health care, Cancer, Consent, Family planning, Health care, Legal responsibility, Limited English speakers, Patient rights, Reproductive health, State legislation

Annotation: This report examines the relationship between health literacy and various self-reported background factors. The report examines how health literacy varies across groups with different demographic characteristics as well as the relationship between health literacy and highest level of educational attainment and poverty status, and it explores the relationship between literacy and overall health. Statistical information is presented in tables and figures throughout the report. The report includes five appendices: (1) a sample health literacy assessment questionnaire, (2) definitions of all subpopulations and background variables reported, (3) technical notes, (4) standard errors for tables and figures, and (5) additional analyses. References are included.

Contact: National Center for Education Statistics, 1990 K Street, N. W., Washington, DC 20006, Telephone: (202) 502-7300 Secondary Telephone: (202) 502-7442 Fax: (202) 219-1736 Web Site: http://www.nces.ed.gov Available from the website.

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Keywords: Adults, Age factors, Children, Demographics, Education, Health, Health literacy, Limited English speakers, Low income groups, Oral health, Poverty, Racial factors

Annotation: This report describes a study conducted to assess current innovations in providing language services in small health care provider settings and identifies promising practices that are replicable by other small providers (e.g., recruiting bilingual staff for dual roles; conducting ongoing cultural and language competency training for interpreter staff; using community resources such as hospitals, managed care organizations, students, and volunteers; and capitalizing on underutilized resources). An eight-step plan to help providers develop a strategy to meet the needs of limited English proficiency clients and the community is included. Three appendices include a summary of surveyed models for providing language assistance services in small health care provider settings, a suggested plan of implementing language services, and the project methodology.

Contact: Commonwealth Fund, One East 75th Street, New York, NY 10021, Telephone: (212) 606-3800 Fax: (212) 606-3500 E-mail: info@cmwf.org Web Site: http://www.commonwealthfund.org Available from the website.

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Keywords: Community programs, Culturally competent services, Health professionals, Limited English speakers, Model programs, Training, Translations