There are more than 200 languages spoken at home in California. But those with the largest proportion of speakers who don’t speak English very well are all Asian languages: Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Khmer, and Thai or Lao.
These language barriers present challenges for Asian communities when it comes to accessing health care, advocates and public officials discussed at a Tuesday roundtable in Sacramento.
The Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander health equity roundtable included representatives from the state AAPI Caucus and Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, as well as federal and state agencies and community-based organizations based throughout California.
“I think we really need to take a hard look and say, ‘Hey, what, where exactly are the pain spots? And what can we really do to specifically change things up administratively in the state to be much more inclusive to folks who don’t speak English?’” Assemblyman Phil Ting said.
In 2022, the proportion of California residents who have never had a routine medical checkup was about twice as large for those who do not speak English very well, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research Director Ninez Ponce noted.
“The state (has) a vision for improving language access, so we are asking that the state really makes sure that vision is realized,” said Julia Liou, CEO of Asian Health Services, a healthcare provider that co-hosted the roundtable.
Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, who authored a bill to establish an Office of Language Access within the California Health and Human Services Agency, also spoke during the forum about the importance of expanded language access. The bill, Senate Bill 1078, would require the development of language access plans within each department of CalHHS.
Regarding the costs of increasing language access infrastructure, Center for Asian Americans in Action Director Priscilla Huang emphasized the costs of neglecting to improve such access — medical errors, rehospitalizations and corrective measures.
CalHHS officials noted that language access is now a key pillar at CalHHS, which adopted its first comprehensive language policy in May 2023.
Federal officials from the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services also spoke about the current language access landscape and federal policies to expand language access.
“I’ve heard this time and time again: Some large health care system is relying on a community-based organization to do the translation services,” said Melanie Rainer, director of the Office for Civil Rights at HHS, during the panel. “They can’t just rely on the kindness of their local CBO.”
For example, Rainer said, if a state agency receives federal healthcare funds, it is required to translate written notices and taglines into the top 15 languages and provide “meaningful access” to health services for individuals who may not be proficient in English.
Ting said the next step is for community-based organizations to come to the state with specific recommendations about administrative or policy changes.
Asian Health Services, in conjunction with the AAPI Caucus and CAPIAA, will be hosting a policy summit in Sacramento on Sept. 18 to discuss such strategies.
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