  
Schwartz Rounds
Minute for Medicine - Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation
 SBAR, or Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, is a way that healthcare professionals have been communicating for years and it's an important element of our day-to-day patient care operations. This video will outline how SBAR reinforces how standard communication is key to error prevention and patient safety.
International Interpreters/Translators Day
 September 30 was International Interpreters/Translators Day! Interpreters and translators are such an important part of our health system and make it possible for our limited English proficient (LEP) patients to have meaningful access. During FY 2021-22, there was a total of 200,285 hours of interpretation services (telephone/audio, video, and face-to-face) utilized throughout LA Health Services. So, let’s take a moment to celebrate all interpreters, including our DHS Healthcare Interpreters (HCIs), and recognize their efforts!
Meaningful access to language services is a patient’s right and our responsibility to provide. This right was first established by Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. Services are to be provided in an accurate and timely manner. And now, there is an additional tool to access qualified interpreters from smart devices, such as a smartphone or iPad, in the palm of their hands with the LanguageLine InSight (Interpreter) App. Click here to obtain instructions (“Quick Start Guide”) for Medical Centers and the ACN.
In addition, our on-site Healthcare Interpreters can still be used for complex and urgent encounters, including informed consent. We are proud to have this valuable resource of interpreters to assist our LEP patients. We are dedicated to continue growing this network of interpreters so that our health system and communities are supported in their language needs.
DHS-Wide Contest coming soon! Don’t miss out.
 LA County Department of Health Services will be launching an exciting contest with weekly winners as part of our efforts to ensure you are part of planning the future of DHS.
The contest is part of the Our Voice – Workforce Experience Survey that will launch on October 24th, giving everyone from managers and supervisors to front line staff an opportunity to share what matters to them. The Our Voice – Workforce Experience Survey is a “workforce planning tool” designed to help us understand each unique workforce member experience at DHS. Since our last survey period in 2020, we have implemented:
- More TOP and LEAP classes for managers and supervisors
- 40 Test Prep Classes to enable advancements to our staff
- A comprehensive EDIA Initiative
- A new Central Communications Department
- H3 (Helping Healers Heal), Schwarts Rounds, and an extensive wellness resource website
The benefits of participation are tangible, but to make it even better we are introducing a DHS-wide contest where the following teams have been designated to compete for weekly prizes, the Championship Trophy plus bragging rights for the next year. 😊
 The teams will be in a race to see who will get closest to 100% survey completion.
Every week we will tally survey completion for each team and the winning team for each week will be announced. Workforce members from the winning team will be automatically entered into a raffle to win prizes!
Once survey closes, the team with the greatest percentage of survey’s completed will be declared the 2022 Our Voice- Workforce Experience Champion and will receive a Trophy, a winner’s video reel and a winner’s photo session to brag about and show off for the next year.
Stay tuned for more information and get ready to win the race!
Grow Your Career - Why Plan Your Career
When was the last time you paused and thought about your career goals? For some of us, this is a daily exercise that is always top of mind. For others, defining our goals may be a little more difficult, but it doesn’t have to be!
The truth is, careers don’t come with a defined roadmap. People can take breaks to raise children, change employers, or switch professions all together. But these things shouldn’t prevent you from being able to achieve your goals when it comes to your career. LA County has a guide and a series of videos to help you define your goals so you can pursue your dreams.
The videos ask four questions to begin your career planning:
- What is your final goal for your career?
- What is your situation?
- What skills are you using and are you satisfied?
- What are the Values, Interests, Preferences, and Strengths (VIPS) you value in your employer?
Give it a try! The answers will help determine whether you should take classes, pursue a transfer opportunity, or stay in place in order to achieve your goals.
Indigenous People’s Day
 This Monday, October 10, is recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. We celebrate and honor Native American peoples and remember their contributions as well as their histories and cultures. \There are approximately 109 federally recognized American Indian tribal bands in California. Additionally, California has one of the largest populations of Native Americans in the United States. We are very fortunate to have so much rich Native American culture throughout our state!
As LA Health Services, we are also very fortunate to be able to serve our Native American community. We are equipped to provide them Language Access Services for their language preference. In FY 2021-21, there were approximately 135 additional languages identified as preferred languages (English, Spanish, and Korean were the top three languages in Health Services). Although these may not be common languages, it is important that we provide meaningful access to every limited English proficiency (LEP) patient and in every one of their encounters.
Through Language Access Services and advanced video/audio technology, staff can obtain interpreting services for most languages in real time. This technology includes the new LanguageLine InSight (Interpreter) App.
However, some of these languages are considered languages of lesser diffusion, including the Native American languages of Navajo, Cree, and Apache and Latin American Indigenous languages like Zapoteco and Mixteco. Languages of lesser diffusion may require advanced notice to ensure that there is a qualified interpreter available for the interpreting session. Check with your supervisor on how to make those arrangements.
Whether we are obtaining services for a common language, like Spanish, or a language of lesser diffusion, like Zapoteco, the most important thing we are providing to each of our LEP patients is meaningful access. Each of our LEP patients deserves and has a right to meaningful access to their health care which results in accurate, timely, and effective communication between provider and patient.
LA Health Services is proud to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day on Monday, October 10, and will close all administrative offices and clinics.
We hope that all of you will safely enjoy the three-day weekend with family and loved ones.
Happy Indigenous People’s Day Weekend!
|
