By Lucia Cheng, Iowa Public Radio
An Iowa community health nonprofit has laid off 13 translators because of rising costs and funding cuts.
EveryStep provides services like hospice, home care and nursing. But now, having an in-person translator for non-English speaking clients is not one of them.
The nonprofit will switch to translation phone lines, but will lose the cultural competency their staff provided.
EveryStep CEO Tray Wade says reimbursement rates are changing. Federal grant money is being cut on top of that.
He says the translators provided essential guidance on culturally competent care because they were members of the communities they served.
“That’s probably the biggest change, is that person being in the home with that case manager, serving not only as a conduit with the language, but a conduit that shows that the person, you know, can trust us.”
Wade says the translators went above and beyond to help their clients understand an unfamiliar health care system.
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