Shari Gold-Gomez recognized as Language Access Champion for Interpreter Services at BIDMC

WASHINGTON - April 18, 2017 - PRLog -- Contact Information:

Enrica Ardemagni, President

eardemagni@ncihc.org

April 18, 2017

Shari Gold-Gomez recognized as Language Access Champion for Interpreter Services at BIDMC

Washington, D.C. – Shari Gold-Gomez, Director of Interpreter Services at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, has been named 2017 Language Access Champion by the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC).   A leader in improving healthcare to patients and families with limited English proficiency (LEP), the number of staffed languages at BIDMC has increased to 10, while serving over 70 different languages.  Under her direction, BIDMC was one of the first hospitals to create a scheduling software that integrated the interpreter services office with clinic and patient scheduling. She brought teleconferencing capacity to the hospital's Emergency Department and Pain Clinic, and many of her initiatives have been copied at other hospitals locally and nationally.

Gold-Gomez has also been a strong advocate for physician education on best practices for working with interpreters. BIDMC interpreter services is an integral part of the new resident training helping to prepare them when an interpreter is part of the medical encounter.

Identifying a need for interpreter service directors of local teaching hospitals to collaborate and share resources, Gold-Gomez was one of the founding members of ISC, the Interpreter Services Collaborative.

In the nomination for Gold-Gomez, a colleague described his first encounter with her:  "I was met with Shari's bright smile, a firm handshake, and a gracious encounter that was a veritable crash course on medical interpreting, cultural diversity, the healthcare industry, and everything I needed to know to succeed."

Gold-Gomez will receive her Language Access Champion award at the Interpretini Reception following the first day of the NCIHC's Annual Membership Meeting (AMM) on June 9, 2017 in Portland, Maine.

For more information about the NCIHC AMM in Portland, visit http://www.ncihc.org/2017-membership-meeting.  #NCIHC2017