2011 - NIH Clinical Center - National Institutes of Health

VOLUNTEER INTERPRETERS HELP STAFF AND PATIENTS BRIDGE LANGUAGE BARRIERSEileen DeSantillana (right) is one of more than70 language interpreter volunteers who helppatients like Jaime Sanchez of Oaxaca, Mexico,navigate the sometimes complicated journey ofclinical research. To assure that all patients have afull understanding of their involvement in clinicalresearch, and, conversely, to assure that staff havea full understanding of what the patient is experiencing,the CC relies on a dedicated staff oflanguage interpreters.The program also comprises three staff membersto handle the average of 25 (though as high as40) interpreter requests that come in a day. FromAmharic (spoken in Ethiopia) toYiddish, the programoffers interpreters in more than 40 languages.Volunteers come in the form of former and currentNIH staff, local retirees of such internationalentities as the World Bank and the Pan AmericanHealth Organization, and medical students orthose who wish to soon be such.“Our volunteersare selfless people who serve with devotionand humanity,” said coordinator Brenda Robles.“They value their experience and show respectto the patients.We admire them and highlyvalue them.”All volunteers are vetted and tested to assure thattheir capabilities match the CC needs, particularlyknowledge of medical and legal jargon, Roblessaid. No matter their background, applicants take awritten and an oral test then, if they pass, shadowan interpreter to learn the CC process.Nurse Eleftheria (Libby) Koklanaris of the NationalHeart, Lung, and Blood Institute uses the theservice almost daily to interpret for proceduresand consents and to communicate and correspondwith patients and their doctors in their countryof origin.“Without the Language Interpreter Program andtheir services, it would be challenging to advocatefor the patient’s needs, which does not do justicefor the patients,” Koklanaris said.“They offer manyservices and their endless efforts of advocacy andprofessionalism are what make them desired bymany.”ARTIST’S EYESChevy Chase artist Jean Meisel made agenerous donation to the Clinical Center in2010—13 large works, half of which hang inthe Magnuson’s Building new main corridor.Her artist’s statement explains her work:“Everyday of our lives we are astounded by the gloriousand mysterious objects and events in thenatural world. In my paintings I isolate shapesand colors and simplify what I see—rocks,leaves, skies, shells—in the hope that the viewer,like the painter, can apprehend these miracleswith new eyes.”ANNUAL REPORT 2011• 9