Journal staff
Bluewater Health is providing easier access to language interpretation services through a new app for patients, families and staff, the hospital announced this month.
Canadian technology company, Voyce, is “enabling communication between providers and patients” through an app providing 24-hour, seven-days-a-week service.
Last year, more than 770 patients reported their preferred language as ‘other than English or French.’ According to the most recent census data, nearly 7% of Sarnia-Lambton residents report their primary language as ‘other than English or French,’ the hospital noted.
“We have a growing and diverse population in Sarnia-Lambton, and it is imperative that Bluewater Health continue to provide equitable care in our community,” said Shannon Landry, Chief Nursing Executive and VP, Clinical Support Services. “We know that utilizing Voyce will improve our ability to communicate easily, safely and effectively with patients who do not speak English or French as their primary language.”
The on-demand app offers remote video and audio interpretation in more than 240 languages, including American Sign Language and Indigenous languages such as Cree and Ojibway. Non-English or French speaking patients and hospital staff can connect with a remote interpreter via app instantaneously, according to a news release.
“Bringing this platform to our community will not only aid in providing a welcoming and comfortable setting for care planning with patients and families, but it will also help to remove those language barriers and hesitations that some people face when entering a hospital,” said Landry.
“Language barriers persist in Canada, especially in the hospital setting where non-English and French speaking patients are faced with seeking care in places where they don’t speak the language,” said Voice CEO Andrew Royce.
Bluewater Health is the first hospital in Southwestern Ontario and among the first in Canada to adopt this technology, joining hospitals like Ottawa’s CHEO and Kitchener’s St. Mary’s Hospital.