Category Archives: Assistants

Assistants, Disabilities, Ear Nose and Throat, Healthcare, Healthcare Services, Healthcare Solutions, Hospitals, Online, Society

WeInterpret.Net and University of Maryland Medical System Expand Contract

WeInterpret.Net has signed a contract with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and has been providing sign language interpreting services to both the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University Specialty Hospital, both in Baltimore. The additional seven member hospitals have now been added to the contract. Located in Baltimore City and Glen Burnie, along with Cambridge, Easton, and Chestertown on the eastern shore, the list of participating hospitals includes Maryland General Hospital, Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, Memorial Hospital at Easton, Chester River Hospital Center, Dorchester General Hospital, and the James Lawrence Kernan Hospital. As one of the largest hospital networks and related clinic services in Maryland, hundreds of patients each year require interpreting services to communicate successfully with hospital staff and medical personnel. WeInterpret.Net, providing interpreting services throughout the state of Maryland and in many locations across the country, is pleased to have been chosen by the University Medical System to provide services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Nationally Certified and Qualified Interpreters provided by WeInterpret.Net assure that the hospital is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. which requires equal access through appropriate methods of communication.

weinterpret

Appropriate communication methods vary by individual and We Interpret.Net can provide interpreters skilled in American Sign Language, Signed English, The Rochester Method, Cued Speech and Oral Interpretation. In areas such as the Washington / Baltimore metro area, interpreters are in high demand and short supply. “Full-time staff interpreters along with managers who are also certified interpreters, allows the agency to respond to every request with qualified interpreters even on the busiest of days or during the overnight and weekend hours,” stated Tauna Faries, Vice President of Operations for WeInterpret.Net.

About WeInterpret.Net
Maryland Interpreting Services, a Maryland corporation doing business as WeInterpret.Net and WeInterpretLinked was established in 1996. Owner and President, David Stephenson is a nationally certified interpreter. Since its establishment, it has provided some 6 million hours of interpreting services to some 900 customers through offices in Utah, Virginia, Maryland and New Mexico. Staff Interpreters and Independent Sub-Contractors numbering over 1000 provide On-Site (www.WeInterpret.Net) and Video Remote Interpreting. (www.WeInterpretLinked.com)

About University of Maryland Medical System
The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) was created in 1984 when the state-owned University Hospital became a private, nonprofit organization. It has evolved into a multi-hospital system with academic, community and specialty service missions reaching every part of the state and beyond. (www.umm.edu) UMMS is a national and regional referral center for trauma, cancer care, neurocare, cardiac care, women’s and children’s health and physical rehabilitation. It also has one of the world’s largest kidney transplant programs, as well as scores of other programs that improve the physical and mental health of thousands of people daily.

Via EPR Network
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Assistants, Disabilities, Ear Nose and Throat, Healthcare, Healthcare Services, Healthcare Solutions, Online, Society

WeInterpret.Net Signs With The University Of Maryland Medical System To Provide Sign Language Interpreting

WeInterpret.Net a Sign Language Interpreting agency in Maryland has a contract with the University of Maryland Medical System and is providing Interpreting services currently to the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University Specialty Hospital, both in Baltimore. This contract is for the provision of services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing patients when communicating with their medical providers. As one of the largest hospitals in the area, the contract for interpreting services is one of the largest outside of the federal government entities in the state of Maryland. This contract allows the hospital to be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

weinterpret.net

WeInterpret.Net has signed a contract with the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and is currently providing signed language interpreting services to both the University of Maryland Medical Center and the University Specialty Hospital, both in Baltimore. As one of the largest hospital networks and related clinic services in Baltimore, hundreds of patients require interpreting services to communicate successfully with hospital staff and medical personnel. WeInterpret.Net, providing interpreting services throughout the state of Maryland and to many locations across the country, is pleased to have been chosen by the University Medical System to provide services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Nationally Certified and Qualified Interpreters provided by WeInterpret.Net assure that the hospital is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 which requires equal access through appropriate methods of communication

Appropriate communication methods vary by individual and We Interpret.Net can provide interpreters skilled in American Sign Language, Signed English, The Rochester Method, Cued Speech and Oral Interpretation. In areas such as the Washington / Baltimore metro area, interpreters are in high demand and short supply. “Full-time staff interpreters along with managers who are also certified interpreters, allows the agency to respond to every request with qualified interpreters even on the busiest of days or during the overnight and weekend hours,” stated Tauna Faries, Vice President of Operations for WeInterpret.Net.

About WeInterpret.Net
Maryland Interpreting Services, a Maryland corporation doing business as WeInterpret.Net and WeInterpretLinked was established in 1996. Owner and President, David Stephenson is a nationally certified interpreter. Since its establishment, it has provided some 6 million hours of interpreting services to some 900 customers through offices in Utah, Virginia, Maryland and New Mexico. Staff Interpreters and Independent Sub-Contractors numbering over 1000 provide On-Site (www.WeInterpret.Net) and Video Remote Interpreting. (www.WeInterpretLinked.com)

About University of Maryland Medical System

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) was created in 1984 when the state-owned University Hospital became a private, nonprofit organization. It has evolved into a multi-hospital system with academic, community and specialty service missions reaching every part of the state and beyond. (www.umm.edu)

UMMS is a national and regional referral center for trauma, cancer care, neurocare, cardiac care, women’s and children’s health and physical rehabilitation. It also has one of the world’s largest kidney transplant programs, as well as scores of other programs that improve the physical and mental health of thousands of people daily.

Via EPR Network
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Assistants, Ear Nose and Throat, Healthcare, Healthcare Services, Healthcare Solutions, Online, Society

Deaf Individuals Are Now Provided With Cost Effective Interpreting Solution By WeInterpret.Net

WeInterpret.Net and We Interpret Linked open a Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) call center in Owings Mills, Maryland. This new call center, staffed with local, nationally certified Sign Language Interpreters, allows companies to obtain interpreting services for their deaf patients, clients and customers in rural areas nationwide. The costs of travel and last minute cancellations can now be minimized by taking advantage of state of the art technology while remaining compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

We Interpret Linked announces the opening of a call center in Owings Mills to provide access to communication during interactions between Deaf and Hearing individuals. Through state of the art Video Phone technology, hospitals, businesses, school districts and government organizations can obtain the services of an interpreter 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act has mandated that communication access be provided by all private companies to allow for equal access to all citizens who use alternative means of communicating. The new call center allows a single location to employ up to 20 full time interpreters available to consumers across the country at the touch of a button.

Although the preferred method of communication varies depending on individual preferences, the most common communication support service is that of an interpreter. In areas such as the Washington / Baltimore metro area, interpreters are in high demand and short supply. Often interpreters are not available and the situation is magnified by the fact that interpreters can spend as much as half of their day traveling from job to job. Costs of travel time and mileage are often passed on to the company responsible for paying for this service. “Citizens and businesses in rural areas of the country have difficulty locating interpreters within a reasonable travel distance,” says David Stephenson, President of Maryland Interpreting Services. Even in the most remote locations, interpreters are now available and companies can benefit by availing their goods and services to a larger community of customers. According to Gallaudet University, there are over 10 Million Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals, potential customers currently underserved in America today.


About WeInterpret.Net
Maryland Interpreting Services, a Maryland corporation doing business as WeInterpret.Net and WeInterpretLinked.Com was established in 1996. Owner and President, David Stephenson is a nationally certified interpreter. Since its establishment, it has provided some 6 million hours of interpreting services to some 900 customers through offices in Utah, Virginia, Maryland and New Mexico. Staff Interpreters and Independent Sub-Contractors numbering over 1000 provide on-site interpreting and VRI operation since 2007.

About Video Remote Interpreting

IP based video and audio communication technology allows an interpreter in a call center to be seen and heard at a remote site wherever business interactions occur between Deaf and Hearing persons. A light weight, portable Video Phone is required at the business site and at the call center interpreter work station. High speed Internet service is required at both sites as well.

Via EPR Network
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Assistants, Diseases, Healthcare, Healthcare Services, Healthcare Solutions, Public Health, Society

The Npower Health Through Warmth Scheme Has Been Commended In A National Report After Helping Nearly 2,000 Vale Of Glamorgan Residents With Cold And Damp Related Illnesses

The npower scheme has been referenced as an example of best practice by the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) in a report prepared for the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes.

The Vale of Glamorgan is just one of 14 areas of England and Wales where the Health Through Warmth scheme operates, providing practical help, information and advice for vulnerable people who have inadequate heating and insulation, and whose health is adversely affected by their cold, damp living conditions.

Health Through Warmth is managed locally by the Vale of Glamorgan Council and relies on community workers such as health visitors, district nurses and housing officers, who observe cold and damp conditions first-hand, to refer people at risk.

Gary Ford, Health Through Warmth co-ordinator for the Vale of Glamorgan scheme, said: “It’s fantastic recognition to be referenced by a national body such as CSE. To date, the scheme has improved the levels of warmth, comfort and quality of life for nearly 2,000 people in the local community and we would like to remind residents that we are here to help.”

Health Through Warmth assesses each referral on an individual basis and accesses funding from a variety of sources including government grants, charitable funds, and the unique npower Health Through Warmth Crisis Fund.

Since the scheme launched in the Vale of Glamorgan in 2002, Health Through Warmth has facilitated more than £2,000,000 worth of heating and insulation measures in vulnerable people’s homes across the area.

*Figures from the Help the Aged and Age Concern research

About npower:
npower is one of Britain’s largest electricity supplier and supplies gas, electricity and related services to 6.6 million customers across the UK. npower is a market leader in renewable energy and sources the green energy for juice directly from renewable sources, at no extra cost.

RWE npower has been awarded the prestigious CommunityMark from Business in the Community (BITC). npower is the only utility business, amongst 21 other companies in the UK, to receive this accolade. The CommunityMark is a new BITC standard which has been created to recognise companies that are good investors in local communities and who have brought about real and positive changes.

Via EPR Network
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Anesthesiology, Assistants, Business of Medicine, Healthcare, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Services, Regulation

Texas Bills Filed To Regulate Anesthesiologist Assistants

Bills to license Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAs), highly trained anesthesia care providers, have been introduced in the Texas legislature. Though AAs have been providing anesthesia in Texas operating rooms for the past 11 years, they believe it’s time to ask legislators to give the AA profession the regulatory protection enjoyed by other health care providers.

“We aren’t trying to change the way AAs practice at all, but we believe that it makes sense to have oversight of the people taking care of us when we need medical care,” says Paul McHorse, a certified Anesthesiologist Assistant (AA-C), and President of the Texas Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants. “AAs have always practiced within nationally accepted guidelines, but we believe that critical care areas should be regulated, and that certainly includes anesthesia. It’s just a matter of good public policy.”

SB 1794 by State Senator Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio) and HB 3376 by State Representative John Davis (R-Houston) were filed on Wednesday, March 11th and are identical. If passed, the legislation would require that AAs be regulated and licensed by the Texas Medical Board in order to practice in the state. AAs already practice in Texas, but are not regulated by the state.

The first Anesthesiologist Assistants joined the anesthesia work force almost 40 years ago, at the same time as the more widely known Physician Assistants (PAs). “The big difference between PAs and AAs is that PA training is designed to cover needs in many medical specialties, and AA training focuses exclusively on the specialty of anesthesia,” explains Deb Lawson, AA-C, President of the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants. “Good anesthesia care calls for a very high degree of training and education, and our profession was designed with that in mind from the beginning.”

Like PAs working as physician extenders, AAs work exclusively with anesthesiologists. According to Mr. McHorse, “most anesthetics in the US are given by more than one anesthesia provider working as a team; with a qualified anesthetist like an AA in the room at all times, the anesthesiologist may direct more than one case at the same time, being available for those patients that need more attention. The advantage is that all of the patients have the benefit of an anesthesiologist’s expertise. The reason this ‘Anesthesia Care Team’ model is so widely practiced is that it has been shown to maximize both safety and economy, and results in significantly fewer anesthesia complications. AAs are dedicated to these goals.”

Support is strong among those who work with AAs. “It is my experience and opinion as a neurosurgeon that Anesthesiologist Assistants are qualified and competent anesthesia providers,” says Dr. Peter Shedden, who works with AAs at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital. “Since AAs work closely with anesthesiologists, this unique relationship allows superior care in the increasingly higher acuity procedures characteristic of modern medicine. In my opinion, Anesthesiologist Assistants (AA) provide accurate, efficient and qualified care for patients and are pivotal for patients receiving a safe surgical experience.”

“The AA profession’s excellent track record of safety explains why interest in hiring AAs is at an all time high, and why the numbers of new employers and programs are growing,” says Ms. Lawson. “Other medical specialties have long had non-physician providers from both allied health and nursing, and anesthesia needs the same advantage. The shortage of anesthesia providers is well-known, and allied health professions have an added advantage: by not limiting their students to nursing experience, they don’t worsen the critical nursing shortage.”

“Our students enter training with the same background as students entering medical school,” says Joe Rifici, AA-C, M.Ed., and Program Director of the Master of Science in Anesthesia Program at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. “They spend the next two years learning the science, skills and art of anesthesia practice, from simple to very intense cases, in subspecialties such as cardiac, neuro, obstetrics and pediatrics. The gold standards of AA training include affiliation with a medical school and AA students always being paired with an experienced anesthesia provider, which maximizes both the educational experience and patient safety. Everyone benefits, and as everyone who has worked with AAs can attest, it’s an educational model that works.”

If AAs can already practice in Texas, why go to the trouble to push for licensing? Says Mr. McHorse, “Other states are seeking to utilize AAs as providers, and they will look to states like Texas, where AAs are established and have proven themselves, for guidance. Texas AAs would be proud to help establish a public policy precedent, and promote Texas as a leader in AA regulatory affairs.”

Via EPR Network
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