Language Access & Equity in Health Care

Applied Linguistics & Society Virtual Lecture Series

Tuesday, April 20, 2021 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM EDT

Language Access and Equity in Healthcare 

Dr. Rachel Showstack (Associate Professor of Spanish and Linguistics, Wichita State University) & Dr. Glenn Martínez (Professor of Hispanic Linguistics, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, The Ohio State University)  

April 20, 4:30-5:30pm EST 

Applied linguists possess knowledge and skills that are vital to supporting health equity for speakers of minoritized languages. The provision of quality language access services in healthcare encounters and the dissemination of healthcare information that individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds can access and trust are significant components of health equity that gain new urgency during the current pandemic. Drs. Showstack and Martínez explore the ideological and practical reasons that language barriers continue to impact health outcomes in the United States and the ways that applied linguists can address these barriers and support health equity. Drawing from their community-based work in Kansas and Ohio, they demonstrate how building teams of stakeholders can lead to patient empowerment, institutional change, and legislative mobilization, and they suggest new avenues for research to better understand how choices about the provision of interpreting services can impact healthcare interactions. 

Registration is required! Please click on the title of the talk to register through the link.  

Contact Ellen J. Serafini (eserafi2@gmu.edu) with any questions.  

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