Paras in the News

12.27.2010 LA Times acknowledges interpreters, notes UCLA Medical Center joining HCIN		Los Angeles Times runs a great feature on the patient’s right to language interpretation. The piece mentions the pending entry of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center into the (Paras-managed) Health Care Interpreter Network. Next month…UCLA joins the Health Care Interpreter Network, a cooperative of at least 17 California hospitals that share trained healthcare interpreters though a video/voice call center. read the article

11.15.2010 IVIN Highlighted in Chicago Sun-Times		Chicago Sun-Times blogger Esther J. Cepeda took note of the achievements of the Illinois Video Interpreter Network (designed and managed by Paras and Associates): Over the years, health-care providers have had to learn to handle patient issues with increased privacy and proper respect, but those efforts often sputter when there is no affordable professional available to translate. read the article

01.2010 Georgetown University Hospital Launches MIN		Georgetown University Hospital’s language services team recently helped MedStar Health launch the MedStar Interpreter Network (MIN) – an on-demand, all-language remote interpreting system that reduces the Hospital’s reliance on in-person interpretation. read more

4.28.2009 Central California’s Largest Hospital Goes Live with Interpreter Network		Fresno-based Community Medical Centers (CMC), the largest health care provider in Central California, is the newest member of the Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN). Community Regional Medical Center has gone live with an initial deployment of 14 video units, and two interpreter video stations. CMC’s entry into HCIN is facilitated by a grant from the California HealthCare Foundation.

4.09.2009 Chicago Tribune Highlights IVIN		“It’s clearly a cost-saving technology for hospitals because it helps reduce the whole issue of medical errors” says Michael King of the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council, quoted in this article by Tribune reporter Bruce Japsen.

4.04.2009 HCIN Presentation at HIMSS		Paras and Associates presented a learning session about the experience of the Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN) at the industry leading Health Information Management Systems Society.

3.21.2009 HCIN Presents at CHIA Conference		Staff from the Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN) presented on standards of practice, training and continuing education of healthcare interpreters, highlighting issues unique to video interpreting, at the annual conference of the California Healthcare Interpreting Association (CHIA).

2.13.2009 “Paras & Associates is making leaps and bounds”		Business and globalization blog Global Watchtower featured this item on technological solutions to the shortage of qualified language interpreters. The piece cites the hospital video networks established by Paras and Associates, and features a YouTube video demonstrating video interpretation at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center.

2.05.2009 Fresno Community to Join HCIN		Fresno-based Community Medical Centers, the largest health care provider in Central California, has announced it will join the Health Care Interpreter Network. Its entry into HCIN is facilitated by a grant from the California HealthCare Foundation.

12.12.2008 UNM Hospital Goes Live		University of New Mexico Hospital has activated its ALVIN solution — Spanish and Vietnamese interpreters at the main hospital are serving that campus, a rehab facility and two neighborhood ambulatory clinics. UNMH plans to add Navajo interpretation to the network at a later date.

11.14.2008 IVIN is Live at Sinai		The Illinois Video Interpreter Network (IVIN) is up and running, beginning with American Sign Language interpretation at Sinai Health System. Sinai’s Deaf Access Program is a center of excellence, and its outstanding ASL interpreters are now available almost instantly. Spoken language interpretation will be added soon. IVIN is offered statewide by the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council.

6.04.2007 ALVIN Now Supports ASL Interpretation		Paras and Associates has announced that ALVIN now offers instant access to trained American Sign Language interpreters. This service will expand to 24/7/365 coverage by September 1, 2007.

6.04.2007 PAA Profiled in East Bay Business Times		Paras and Associates was recently profiled in the East Bay Business Times. View a copy of the article.

10.15.2006 HCIN Officially Launched		The Health Care Interpreters Network was officially launched today. This network of California Public Hospitals has agreed to install ALVIN and to share interpreter resources. HCIN has four founding hospitals, and is open to applications for membership. For more information on HCIN, go to HCIN.org