Why do we have Interpreters?
Norwood Hospital is committed to providing linguistically and culturally appropriate services to our patients and families. We have an experienced team of trained medical Interpreters on staff. In the medical setting, it is essential that patients actively participate in a dialogue with their health care providers. The need to understand information, diagnoses, and directions accurately is crucial before making medical decisions that affect one's own treatment or that of a loved one. While many of our Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients and their families use English in other settings, it may not be the language they prefer to utilize for medical care. In addition, feelings of anxiousness or fear about a diagnosis or illness can affect communication. This often happens in emergency situations when a person may be too nervous to communicate clearly in anything other than his/her primary language. Interpreter services bridges linguistic and cultural gaps that may exist between a patient and the medical provider while maintaining strict patient confidentiality.
Interpreters are available 24 hours per day
Português |
Por favor clique na gravura do alto falante para ouvir uma mensagem de serviço público do Departamento de Saúde Pública de Massachusetts. |
Español |
Por favor haga clic sobre el símbolo de la bocina para escuchar un mensaje de audio del servicio público de Massachusetts Department of Public Health. |
Tiếng Việt |
Xin hãy bấm vào nút hình cái loa đe nghe thông tin từ Bộ Y Tế CôNG CộNG của Tiểu Bang MA. |
عربي |
لطفاً – أُنقر على أيقونة السّماعة لسماع رسالة الخدمات الحكومية من إدارة ماساشيوستس للصّحة العامة |
Kreyòl Ayisyen |
Tanpri peze klikè ya pou-w kapab tande mesaj Depatman Sante Piblik Massachusetts lan. |
русский |
Нажмите, пожалуйста, кнопку "Динамик" и прослушайте сообщение Управления здравоохранения штата Массачусеттс. |
American Sign Language |
Interpreter services are provided at no cost to patients, family members and companions involved in patient care. You do not have to bring your own interpreter. If you prefer to have a family member or friend interpret on your behalf, we will respect your preference. Be aware that minors are legally prohibited from interpreting for both patients and family members. You may change your mind and request a trained medical interpreter at any time. If you would like to have a medical interpreter throughout your upcoming appointment, you will need to request this service from our patient registration staff, notify your provider's office when scheduling the appointment, or simply let your health care team know at any time.
How to reach an interpreter at Norwood Hospital:
Norwood Hospital's team of health care providers and support staff work closely with interpreter services to ensure that our medical interpreters are prepared to support your care. In the event that you need to reschedule your appointment or have questions related to ongoing care, contact interpreter services or your provider's direct number to discuss your situation. Contact information for our department is listed below.
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Portuguese: 781-278-6729
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Spanish: 781-278-6731
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Cape Verdean Creole: 781-278-6729
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English/Other: 781-278-6737
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Email: [email protected]
Featured Interpreter
Lindsey Medeiros
American Sign Language, State-Certified Interpreter
Lindsey Medeiros has been a Commonwealth of Massachusetts state-certified American Sign Language Interpreter since completing Northeastern University's ASL Interpreter Program back in 2009. Medeiros has been on staff at Norwood Hospital since 2011 and now provides ASL, Signed English, Closed Vision, and Tactile support for Steward providers and deaf/hard of hearing patients throughout southwestern Massachusetts and Greater Boston.
Please Note
In emergency or short-notice situations, when an in-person interpreter is not immediately available for a specific language, we may utilize telephonic and/or video remote interpretation. Norwood Hospital has invested in the latest communications technology in order to ensure that our LEP patients always receive an equivalent standard of care compared to non-LEP patients. Our services include customized wireless conference phones and dual-handset phones stationed at key hospital departments with access to both staff and outside Interpreters in 200 languages and dialects. We offer video remote interpreting supported with a computer and webcam when assisting deaf patients through American Sign Language (ASL) to supplement in-person ASL Interpreters requested from the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH). We also support video remote interpretation for a number of our most frequently requested languages.