Tucson: Tucson Medical Center (TMC) Implements CyraCom’s American Sign Language Interpretation Solution

http://www.cyracom.com
March 17, 2010 05:58 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Tucson Medical Center (TMC) Implements CyraCom’s American Sign Language Interpretation Solution

TUCSON, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CyraCom, the Tucson-based language services company, has announced that it provides Tucson Medical Center (TMC) with American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters via video link. TMC is one of the first hospitals in Southern Arizona to provide video ASL interpretation to the local Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. The on-demand service provides patients with access to certified ASL interpreters on a 24/7 basis.

“Using the new video technology lets us quickly establish full communication with this important segment of our patient population”

“Using the new video technology lets us quickly establish full communication with this important segment of our patient population,” said Karen Harrah, director of TMC Emergency Patient Care Services.

Interpreters are quickly accessible through a mobile video unit that can be made available at multiple locations. The service is currently implemented in the Emergency Department and the Gastroenterology Laboratory, and will be expanded to other units over the next few months.

Says Stephen McNeil, CyraCom’s Vice President of Sales: “CyraCom has enjoyed a longstanding partnership with TMC in the provision of over-the-phone interpretation for spoken languages. We are proud to extend this relationship to now include video ASL interpretation, helping TMC to better meet the needs of its patients.”

Providing effective communication with Deaf and Hard of Hearing patients is required under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Providing ASL interpretation over video is a fast and efficient way to enable communication.

About CyraCom

CyraCom is the leading provider of innovative language solutions for healthcare including Over-the-Phone Interpretation, Video Interpretation, Translation and Localization, and Assessment and Training.

CyraCom's interpretation and translation solutions are exclusively endorsed by the American Hospital Association.

CyraCom has been awarded ISO 9001:2008 certification - the first over-the-phone interpretation company in the US to achieve this distinction.

For more information, visit http://www.cyracom.com/Interpretation/ASL/ or call (800) 713-4950 ext. 1.