{"id":39403,"date":"2025-11-14T14:22:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T14:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/39403\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T14:22:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T14:22:08","slug":"queens-officials-demand-gov-hochul-sign-hospital-language-services-access-bill-before-end-of-year-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/39403\/","title":{"rendered":"Queens officials demand Gov. Hochul sign hospital language services access bill before end of year \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Queens officials and community advocates demanded language services be required at hospitals and medical facilities during a rally outside of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital<\/a> in Flushing<\/a> on Wednesday, Nov. 12.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over a dozen speakers \u2014 which included Assemblymember Nily Rozic, State Sen. John Liu, Council Member Linda Lee and representatives from several community organizations \u2014 called upon Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the hospital language access bill (A387<\/a>\/S6288<\/a>) before the end of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bill, sponsored by Rozic and Liu, is aimed at improving language services to ensure equitable access to medical care across the state, particularly in areas like Queens, which is composed of residents representing over 150 countries and speaking over 800 languages, according to the World Economic Forum<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cLanguage access is health access,\u201d Rozic emphasized. \u201cEvery patient and their family deserve to understand medical diagnosis and treatment options without fear of miscommunication or neglect. Our bill is about dignity, safety and fairness, and it\u2019s time for New York to make it law.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Comprehensive language services required by the bill include interpretation and translation support so patients can better understand diagnoses, medications and procedures communicated by their doctors, as well as consent to treatment with more confidence.<\/p>\n

According to officials, there is no opposition to the bill, and it has already passed the state\u2019s Senate and Assembly. However, they are urging Hochul to sign the bill before Dec. 31 to ensure its speedy implementation so hospitals can start delivering the quality care residents with limited English proficiency need.<\/p>\n

\"\"Assemblymember Nily Rozic emphasized that language access is health access, and this service is necessary to ensure equitable medical care without fear of miscommunication. Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n

Queens is largely considered the \u201clinguistic capital of the world,\u201d with over 630,000 residents \u2014 25.5% of the population \u2014 with limited English proficiency, as reported by the Office of General Services<\/a> in August 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to a 2007 publication by the Commonwealth Fund<\/a>, researchers studied over 1,000 adverse event reports from LEP and proficient English-speaking patients across six hospitals. Events included medication mistakes, patient falls, injuries during treatment, skin breakdowns and equipment problems. They found 49% of LEP patients experienced an adverse event that caused physical harm after receiving medical care from their respective hospitals, compared to 30% of proficient English speakers, who also experienced less severe adverse events. The study concluded the disparity was attributable to communication processes.<\/p>\n

Several more recent reports explore various aspects of the disparity in different settings, demographics and corners of the healthcare industry. Reports include studies from the National Library of Medicine<\/a>, the Journal of General Internal Medicine<\/a>, the Kaiser Family Foundation<\/a> and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While advocates said NewYork-Presbyterian in Queens has adequate language translation services, many hospitals in the state are still not fully compliant with current mandates. A 2023 publication by the Nation\u2019s Health<\/a> noted that data on compliance is limited, but referenced a 2014 study that found only 64% of hospitals offered language access services.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A study published last month<\/a> by the Journal of the American Medical Association Network states that of 514 hospitals studied across 17 states, almost 30% of them had online portals only available in English.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lack of language services in medical settings puts many families in compromising positions, advocates of the bill said. Without interpreters and translators, children often serve as the only translators between doctors and their family members, which advocates said can be stressful and traumatizing for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the system fails, some of their families \u2014 especially their children \u2014 are forced to step in, often being relied on to translate complex medical information,\u201d said Sherry Chen, the health policy coordinator at the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families<\/a>. \u201cChildren can feel as if the sole responsibility of a parent\u2019s life is placed in their hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also noted that the systemic failure of the healthcare system raises serious patient privacy concerns and challenges family dynamics.\u00a0
\n\"\"Sherry Chen, the health policy coordinator at the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, emphasized the burden children in immigrant families feel as sole interpreters of complex medical terminology between doctors and their family members. Photo by Renee DeLorenzo\n<\/p>\n

Thomas Yu, executive director of Asian Americans for Equality<\/a>, recalled when his mother needed surgery while he was still a child. She received medical care at NewYork-Presbyterian \u2014 known as Booth Memorial Hospital at the time \u2014 during which Yu had to interpret for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was nervous for my mother because she was nervous,\u201d Yu said. \u201cShe\u2019s the adult, and I looked up to her for comfort and care. I had to be in a situation where the roles were reversed. I had to kind of assure her without knowing all the details myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeehae Fischer, executive director of the Korean American Family Service Center<\/a>, said the center often supports immigrant survivors of gender-based violence. When children and family members are required to translate physical symptoms related to this type of violence, it places an additional burden on them by forcing them to carry knowledge that may be traumatic. \u201cNo children should bear that kind of burden,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Liu, who was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Queens with his family when he was just 5 years old, said he has been his family\u2019s primary interpreter since their arrival. While he joked it worked in his favor when it came to interpreting letters sent home from his principals, it became a stressful reality when they had to bring his younger brother to the emergency room.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s certainly scary for a parent, let alone a child who\u2019s the primary interpreter,\u201d Liu said. \u201cAll the elected officials in New York, they say we\u2019re the international capital of the world. I\u2019ve never heard anyone say we are the capital of the English-speaking world. So we have to take care of all people, regardless of their background or their ability to speak English proficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rozic, a child of Argentinian immigrants whose native language is Spanish, said even though her parents speak English proficiently, they still get flustered during hospital visits and have asked her to translate conversations in Spanish so they can fully understand what is being said by doctors. \u201cEveryone needs to be held in the best care in the moments they are most vulnerable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Patients without family members to translate suffer in different ways, advocates explained. Rehan Mehmood, director of health services at the South Asian Council for Social Services<\/a>, shared a story of one of their patients, a U.S. citizen who suffered a brain injury while traveling outside of the country.<\/p>\n

\"\"Rehan Mehmood, director of health services at the South Asian Council for Social Services, said underserved New Yorkers need more support to ensure they are not denied access to services due to miscommunication. Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n

After returning to the U.S., Mehmood recounted, the patient called his doctor concerned about some symptoms he was experiencing. His doctor told him to see a neurologist, and he would have to reach out to another provider in order to get an exam.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This patient, Mehmood explained, did not speak English proficiently but made his best attempt to request an appointment, after which the neurologist\u2019s office requested insurance information. The man explained that he did not have insurance, to which the receptionist said he would need to pay out of pocket.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot going on in his life,\u201d Mehmood said. \u201cHe was traumatized. He didn\u2019t have any support, he didn\u2019t speak English. So he started walking on 45th Avenue and thinking about ending his life. He was suicidal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luckily, Mehmood said, the patient saw a sign outside the SACSS office, located on 45th Avenue, written in Hindi and Urdu that said the office could help patients access healthcare. The patient walked in and, after receiving help from the office, got the care he needed. Mehmood said language access saved this patient\u2019s life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For more information about the bill, visit NYSenate.gov<\/a> or Assembly.State.NY.us<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Queens officials and community advocates demanded language services be required at hospitals and medical facilities during a rally…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39404,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[22940,22941,310,22942,9,24,22943,63,122,124,123,22944,22945],"class_list":["post-39403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-a387","tag-assemblymember-nily-rozic","tag-daily-newsletter","tag-hospital-language-access-bill","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-newyork-presbyterian-hospital","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-s6288","tag-state-senator-john-liu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39403\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}