Solution for COVID-19 Contact Tracing with Language Barriers

 

How is COVID-19 contact tracing with language barriers possible?

You’ve already heard the news – contact tracing is ramping up. While contact tracing is nothing new, the topic has received a lot of attention lately, and rightfully so.

In addition to COVID testing and quaranting, contact tracing is playing a major role in curving the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, contact tracing isn’t as easy for infected patients who speak other langauges.

First, how does the CDC define COVID-19 contact tracing?

If you’re like most, you’ve probably heard how contact tracing works. In case you’re still curious, here’s how the CDC puts it.

“If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, a public health worker may call you to check-in on your health, discuss who you’ve been in contact with, and ask where you spent time while you may have been infectious and able to spread COVID-19 to others.”

Not only that, but the CDC also tells us that contact tracers are used to notify and advise close contacts with patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Until a vaccine is available, contact tracing will be key to controlling the Coronavirus pandemic. Until then, health officials are cracking down on the CDC’s recommendations for COVID-19 contact tracing.

What options are there for contact tracing people with language barriers?

, how how will contact tracers stay in touch with people who speak limited English?  This has  In truth, contact tracing Limited Englsih Proficient (LEP) people has been an obstacle. Luckily, counties have more than one option to stay in touch with their LEP community members.

COVID-19 Contact Tracing With Language Barriers

While language barriers can make phone calls challenging, Limited English Proficient (LEP) patients simply can’t go unnoticed or uninformed. In fact, the CDC is advising officials to take effective measures towards providing “culturally and linguistically appropriate” communication methods for COVID-19 contact tracing.

The question here is, how do you make a phone call to a patient who speaks limited English?

For some counties, they rely on contact tracers who are bilingual. With this approach, some contact tracers can stay in touch with people who speak other langauges. While this is certainly a viable option, there are a limited number of bilingual contact tracers available. Luckily, bilingual contact tracers aren’t the only option.

For some counties, such as Iowa Linn County Public Health, they have been using interpreter conference calling to stay in touch with their LEP patients every step of the way. By using a local interpreter conference calling system through Hands Up Communications, Linn County Public Health contact tracers have been able to contact patients in hundreds of languages 24/7.

In turn, patients are easily notified and updated about their COVID statuses – no matter the language they speak. Here’s how interpreter conference calling has worked for Linn County Public Health contact tracers.

Put your people at ease when contact tracing with langauge barriers

By dialing the Hands Up conference calling number, LCPH contact tracers can instantly connect to professional interpreters in over 200 languages. To make a phone call to someone in their native language, they use these 3 easy steps.

  1. First, the health official dials the Hands Up conference calling number.
  2. Second, he / she selects the LEP person’s language to connect to an interpreter in just seconds.
  3. Third, the interpreter dials the LEP patient into the phone call so everyone can communicate.

Hands Up interpreter conference calling has been effective for many reasons. Mostly because:

  • it eliminates the need for a bilingual caller
  • the system is HIPAA compliant
  • interpreter connections are fast
  • there are 200 langauges available
  • connecting to interpreters is easy

To learn more about Hands Up interpreter conference calling, get a hold of us here.

From beginning to end, the process takes about 45 seconds for all three parties to connect (health official, interpreter, and the LEP patient). In the end, the result is amazing, and well worth the few seconds it takes to connect.

After everyone connects to the call, the qualified interpreter turns the language barrier into a smooth conversation. As the interpreter quickly relays messages between the LEP and the caller, both are able to communicate and understand one another with no trouble at all.

Download the [download id=”1801″] to learn more about interpreter conference calling.

Receiving phone calls from people in other languages

Outbound calls aren’t the only option though. In addition to making calls to people in other langauges, Hands Up also makes it possible to receive incoming phone calls from other languages as well. As a result, any organization or business who needs to receive calls from limited English speakers can now do so through Hands Up.

How interpreter conference calling helps the community

With the help of interpreter conference calling, Linn County has been able to keep close tabs on COVID positive and COVID close contact patients who speak limited English. As a result, Linn County LEP’s affected by COVID are now getting the same help as everyone else.

While our communities do everything in their power to manage the rising number of cases, it’s important to collaborate and utilize the resources that are available to us. Afterall, Hellen Keller said it best,

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”

To learn more about multilingual phone conversations, you can reach out to out to our Hands Up team here.