Laura was recently involved with securing interpretive services for a Heart Center family with very unique language needs. The patient's family speaks a very specific dialect of Chatino. Unfortunately, due to the specificity of the dialect, we did not have an interpreter in the St. Louis area. Additionally, there are very few resources nationwide to support this type of interpretation. Due to the complexity of their child's condition, it was necessary to provide interpretive services in a timely manner.
Laura worked many hours to understand the family's exact language needs and then partnered with Language Services to troubleshoot the problem. Ultimately, she recognized that the family understands Spanish, so Laura worked to create a schedule with the Spanish interpreter in which they came to the patient's bedside daily to provide updates on their baby's plan of care.
Laura's dedication to providing adequate language services to this family was a display of exceptional care. The family was obviously overwhelmed, not only with their sick baby but unclear understanding about what was going on due to language barriers. As a mother, Laura felt empathy for the patient's mother and knew clear communication was necessary.
Laura's dedication to this family is just one small example of her compassion for patients and families.