Health care facilities: interpreters.

Existing law requires a general acute care hospital to take a variety of actions relating to the provision of language assistance services to patients with language or communication barriers, including, among others, preparing and maintaining a list of interpreters who have been identified as proficient in sign language who have the ability to translate the names of body parts, injuries, and symptoms. This bill would prohibit a general acute care hospital from including a sign language interpreter or cued language transliterator on that list unless the interpreter or transliterator meets certain certification or testing requirements. This bill would require the Department of Public Health, on or before January 1, 2024, to conduct a study to establish the guidelines for selecting testing organizations, agencies, or educational institutions to administer tests for certification of interpreters, including, but not limited to, American Sign Language interpreters, in medical settings for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2025, to approve one or more entities to administer testing for American Sign Language interpreters for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing pursuant to guidelines established by the department.