LOS ANGELES, April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders, advocates and stakeholders in the medical interpretation industry will travel across the globe to convene on Saturday, April 30, 2011, in Los Angeles for the 5th Annual National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum. The event is free and open to the public. It will include guest speakers and discussions that address the advancement of national certification, best practices in the profession and perspectives from industry leaders. Attendees will share advocacy updates, status of educational programs and new opportunities for involvement in shaping the future of medical interpreting.

"A faulty medical interpretation can mean life or death as patients in the United States with limited English proficiency (LEP) continue to face language barriers that threaten their health and undermine their well-being," said Izabel Arocha, Executive Director of the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA). "This forum spotlights the importance and need for all healthcare institutions to adopt national certification standards and provides an open setting for medical professionals to take an active role in the discussion about what still needs to be done."

This past December, Oregon became the first state to endorse the Certified Medical Interpreter (CMI) credential through the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters. This first-of-its-kind national interpreting standard provides professional interpreters working in the medical field with the opportunity to be tested and credentialed as certified interpreters.

Keynote speaker Louis F. Provenzano, Jr., President and CEO of Monterey, California-based Language Line Services, launched the National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum in 2007 when his organization invited leaders in the field of medical interpreting to join forces and work toward national certification. The annual forum is now an industry staple, with more than a hundred stakeholders attending the event this year.

"Language Line Services, IMIA and other key partners and lobbyists are working hard to elevate national certification from an issue discussed only within the medical interpretation industry to an initiative at the top of the national agenda," Provenzano said. "Even as the Joint Commission tightens its language compliance requirements for hospitals to improve patient-provider communication and ensure patient safety, language is still a great divide in the world's most successful melting pot."

The annual event creates an inclusive, transparent and collaborative process that crosses state lines and industry sectors. It brings together representatives of various state and national interpreter associations, interpreters and interpretation service providers, advocates and policy makers, state officials, educators, trainers, hospitals and healthcare organizations, as well as international stakeholders who are watching the U.S. medical interpreter profession's progress toward national certification as the new qualifying standard for medical interpreters.

This year's forum will take place at the Portofino Hotel in the Los Angeles suburb of Redondo Beach and will feature the following guest speakers: Bruce Adelson, Esq., CEO, Federal Compliance Consulting, who will address "Language Assistance, Certification, and the Law" as it relates to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act and their application to healthcare providers; Rose Long, Deputy Director of the Cross Cultural Health Care Program (CCHCP); Tim Moriarty, Manager of the Interpreter & Translation Services Department at Baystate Health and member of the Diversity Council; Dr. Henry Liu, Council member of the International Federation of Translators (FIT) and immediate past president of the New Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters (NZSTI), among others.

The event will be followed on Sunday, May 1, 2011, by meetings of the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters and the Global Advisory Council.

This is a multi-stakeholder event initiated by Language Line Services in 2007 and organized by interpreters and the following organizations: Language Line® University, International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA), PSI Testing & Credentialing, Cardinal Point - Government Relations, Nebraska Association for Translators & Interpreters (NATI), Connecticut Area Health Education Center (AHEC), Nevada Interpreters & Translators Association (NITA), Burg Translation, Language People, Tennessee Association of Medical Interpreters and Translators (TAMIT), and the Epilepsy Foundation.

There is no registration fee to attend the annual forum, though space is limited. Online registration is now open at http://www.imiaweb.org/conferences/May1mainpage.asp

For more information about the 5th Annual National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum, please email may1st_nmic_forum@yahoo.com.

About the National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum

The National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum is an annual event that brings together industry leaders and stakeholders, large and small, private and public, working together to collaborate with a specific focus on the topic of National Medical Interpreter Certification. The purpose of this initiative is to improve and support standardization of the quality of language services in our nation's health care institutions and to give every organization and individual a voice and opportunity to participate in an inclusive and transparent environment.

Contact:
Carla Collado
Olmstead Williams Communications
310.824.9000
ccollado@olmsteadwilliams.com
http://www.olmsteadwilliams.com

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SOURCE The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters