Title
Authorize the Purchasing Manager for Natividad Medical Center (NMC) to execute Amendment No. 3 to the Agreement (A-12028) with Health Care Interpreter Network for Shared Interpreter Services at NMC, extending the Agreement to June 30, 2014 and adding $55,000 for a revised total Agreement amount not to exceed $245,000 in the aggregate.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended the Board of Supervisors authorize the Purchasing Manager for Natividad Medical Center (NMC) to execute Amendment No. 3 to the Agreement (A-12028) with Health Care Interpreter Network for Shared Interpreter Services at NMC, extending the Agreement to June 30, 2014 and adding $55,000 for a revised total Agreement amount not to exceed $245,000 in the aggregate.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION
The Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN) is a cooperative of California hospitals and health care providers sharing trained healthcare interpreters through an automated video/voice call center system. Videoconferencing devices and all forms of telephones throughout each hospital connect within seconds to an interpreter on the HCIN system, either at their own hospital or one of their colleague hospitals.
NMC entered into an agreement (A-12028) with the Healthcare Interpreters Network -HCIN for a period of one year starting 7-1-2010 through 6-30-2011, in order to provide access to a system of shared interpreter services. NMC was allowed to establish a connection to the HCIN secure broadband network and utilize the services of its Video/Voice over IP Call Center. This allowed NMC to provide 24/7 interpreting services to our patients in 170 languages including American Sign Language (ASL). A valuable aspect of this service is that our staff interpreters can also log onto the system and offset the cost by providing interpreter services to the hospitals on the network on their slow or down time, making them more productive. Without these services NMC would lose the capacity to provide a qualified in...
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