Language access has always been a deep-rooted issue in health care. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored many of the existing challenges and the need for effective and just communication in all aspects of care from public health information to individual encounters with clinicians. Language and cultural differences have created challenges for refugees, immigrants, and migrants. In many cases, they have been disenfranchised from COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

To address these challenges during COVID-19, community outreach and the empowerment of refugee, immigrant and migrant groups have been essential to provide COVID-19 resources and vaccinations to diverse communities. To reach vulnerable populations and to fill deep gaps, staff and volunteers with community-based organizations and community health workers have taken the role of ad-hoc interpreters as they are often bilingual and trusted by community members. However, they are not necessarily formally trained and certified to work as interpreters or translators. Join Migrant Clinicians Network as we host a two-part series to discuss strategies for community-based interpretation. We will also provide resources regarding community outreach to vulnerable populations and best practices for effective interpretation.

Veronique Felix is a paralegal with Maryland Legal Aid Farmworker Program. She immigrated to the United States from Quebec, Canada in 1999. She is a native French speaker and is also fluent in Haitian Creole. Since 2004, she has been immersed in the Haitian community on the Maryland Eastern Shore in various roles. She is trained in community and legal (outside courtroom) interpretation and has over 15 years of experience as an interpreter. She is also co-chair of the Maryland Legal Aid Language Access taskforce, advocating for equal access to services for limited English proficient individuals throughout Maryland.
 

Lois Wessel, FNP, DNP is a professor at School of Nursing and Health Studies at Georgetown University. She practices clinically at CCI Health & Wellness in Silver Spring, Maryland with a focus on immigrant and refugee health. She is bilingual (English and Spanish) and is involved with numerous community and environmental health programs including the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment, Migrant Clinicians Network, and the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments. She was a Duke Johnson & Johnson Nurse Leadership Fellow and is a member of the editorial board for the Journal for Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Wessel's areas of interest include community health workers, use of medical interpreters, Project ECHO, health literacy, environmental health, food justice, and team-based care.