Interpreter Services
¿Necesitas un intérprete médico?
您需要醫療口譯員嗎
هل تحتاج إلى مترجم طبي؟
Augusta University Health provides accurate interpretation services for Limited English Proficient (LEP), deaf, and hard-of-hearing patients who need assistance communicating with our hospital and clinic staff.
Interpreter Services
¿Necesitas un intérprete médico?
您需要醫療口譯員嗎
هل تحتاج إلى مترجم طبي؟
Augusta University Health provides accurate interpretation services for Limited English Proficient (LEP), deaf, and hard-of-hearing patients who need assistance communicating with our hospital and clinic staff.
Limited English Proficient (LEP) Patients
AU Health knows that LEP patients need the ability to fully understand and communicate with healthcare providers about their care. By offering medical interpreter services, we ensure our patients have an accurate translation of the care they receive. Interpreter services are provided 24 hours a day, 7 days of the week, at no charge.
Currently in our hospitals, we are able to offer face-to-face Spanish medical interpreters. For languages other than Spanish, we have contracted with language providers who specialize in medical interpretation by phone in more than 150 different spoken languages or by video conferencing for sign language.
To request a medical interpreter, talk to your care provider when you make your appointment or when you are on campus.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Patients
Augusta University Health also coordinates access to licensed American Sign Language (ASL) medical interpreters for the deaf and hearing-impaired.
Face-to-face ASL medical interpreters are available by appointment only; arrangements for this service must be made in advance. Please talk to your care provider when you make your appointment. We can also provide sign language medical interpretation using video conferencing technology, 24/7. You can request this service when you make your appointment or when you are on campus.
Why We Provide Interpreter Services
Medical interpreter services improve access to quality care for our patients, which ultimately lead to better health outcomes. As the local population becomes more diverse, we increasingly interact with patients from distinct cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Given the vital implications of culture and language in the delivery and receipt of health care services, our staff must be able to identify and respond to the needs and preferences of these patients.
Interpreter Services has an array of services, as established by policy 14.58, to support our mission. We have trained Spanish medical interpreters, who are available 24/7. For languages other than Spanish, we have contracted CyraCom International, a transparent language service that specializes in medical interpretation in over 150 different languages. Interpreter Services also coordinate access to licensed American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters for the hearing impaired.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health issued 15 National CLAS standards.
How to Contact your Interpreters
| Monday - Friday (On-Site) | 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM | 706-721-6929 / 706-721-6927 |
| Monday - Friday (On-Call ) | 5:00 PM - 7:30 AM | 706-721-6929 (To page the Interpreter) |
| Weekends (On-Site) | 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM | 706-721-6929 (To page the Interpreter) |
| Weekends (On-Call ) | 6:00 PM - 7:00 AM | 706-721-6929 (To page the Interpreter) |
| Holidays (On-Call ) | Page the On Call system |
Have the following information ready (if possible)
- Your name and phone extension
- Location and room number
- Language required
- Patient's name and Medical Record Number
- Name of attending physician
- A brief explanation of the medical concern
- An estimated length of time
Languages Other Than Spanish
In order to serve our patients who speak other languages besides Spanish, we offer the use of CyraCom Phones (also known as "Blue Phones") to access over-the-phone interpreter service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you need a Blue Phone, please call us at 706-721-6929 and ask to have a set delivered to your clinic when your international patient checks-in. You can also ask your department manager for the location of the nearest Blue Phone.
For emergency department (ED) patients (including Labor & Delivery) contact the charge nurse to access CyraCom language service.
Sign Language Interpreters
American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters are available by appointment only.
Arrangements for this service must be made in advance, if possible. Contact Interpreter Services Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM to schedule a Sign Language Interpreter. Notify the Interpreter Service department immediately of any cancellations or rescheduling of appointments.
In case of an emergency, and to ensure access to qualified sign language interpreters 24/7, Augusta University Medical Center (AUMC) has contracted with DT Interpreting. With their Deaf-Talk System they have become pioneers in the field of sign language interpretations using tele-video conferencing technology. The system is available through the Interpreter Services.
Courses & Training
Interested in taking the Basic Course in American Sign Language (ASL)? Please contact us at 706-721-6929.
"Bridging the Gap" Medical Interpreters Training
Introductory medical interpreters training licensed by the nationally recognized Cross Cultural Health Care Program (CCHCP).
Upcoming “Bridging the Gap” (BTG) medical interpreters training
Contact Interpreters and Translation Services at 706-721-6929, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To register for the course, please e-mail Vivian Rice at VRICE@augusta.edu.