Who:

• Judith Saidel, Executive Director, Center for Women in Government and Civil Society, University at Albany
• Hon. Adriano Espaillat, New York State Assembly, 72nd Assembly District
• Keynote: Eric J. Hardt, M.D., Associate Professor of  Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine
• Keynote Moderator: Francesca Gany, M.D., M.S., Director, Center for Immigrant Health, New York School of Medicine
             

When:
Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 8 a.m-5 p.m.

Where:
Campus Center Ballroom, University at Albany uptown campus, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12222

Background:
The University at Albany's Center for Women in Government & Civil Society received a $96,759 grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the U.S Department of Health and Human Services to convene a conference on linguistic access to healthcare. Directed by the Center's program Voices for Change: Immigrant Women & State Policy, the conference will make a significant contribution to the national dialogue on improving linguistic competency and reducing healthcare disparities. It is designed to:

• share evidence-based knowledge addressing the benefits of removing language barriers to healthcare and the efficacy of emerging language options for improving healthcare outcomes; and
• encourage the development of effective national and state language access policies. 

Founded in 1978, the Center for Women in Government & Civil Society is part of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. The center's mission includes a commitment to equity, access, diversity and women's leadership development.

Conference Agenda:

8 - 9 a.m.: Registration

9 - 9:15 a.m.: Welcome and opening remarks

• Judith Saidel, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for Women in Government & Civil Society, University at Albany
• Honorable Adriano Espaillat, New York State Assembly, 72nd Assembly District

9:15 - 10:15 a.m.: Keynote Presentation: Language Access Research, Key Findings and Evidence-based Policy Implementation

• Eric J. Hardt, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine
• Moderator: Francesca Gany, M.D., M.S., Director, Center for Immigrant Health, New York School of Medicine

10:30 a.m. - noon: Workshop Session I
Workshop A: Legal, Ethical and Financial Parameters for Linguistic Access in Healthcare Settings

• Nisha Agarwal, J.D., Attorney/Skadden Fellow, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Inc.
• Mara Youdelman, J.D., LL.M., Director, National Language Access Advocacy Project, National Health Law Program
• Moderator: Catherine Abate, President/CEO, Community Healthcare Network

Workshop B: Case Studies: Providing Linguistically Competent Care to Perinatal and Reproductive Health Clients

• Jennifer K. Carroll, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry 
• Khadija Abukar, Senior Staff Mentor, Somali Bantu Community Association, Rochester, and Interpreter, Brown Square health Center
• Sadiya Omar, Research Assistant and Interpreter
• Anne Pearson, Director, Reproductive Rights Unit, Civil Rights Bureau, NYS Office of the Attorney General
• Grace Mose, D.A. Research and Program Associate, Family Planning Advocates of New York State
• Moderator: Joan Malin, President/CEO, Planned Parenthood of New York City

Workshop C: Assessing Quality and Evaluating Healthcare Outcomes for LEP Individuals

• Francesca Gany, M.D., M.S., Director, Center for Immigrant Health, New York University School of Medicine
• Stergios Roussos, Ph.D., M.P.H., Research Assistant Professor, Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health,
• San Diego State University, Graduate School of Public Health
• Moderator: Wilma Waithe, Ph.D. Director, Office of Minority Health, NYS Dept. of Health

Noon - 1:30 p.m.: Lunch Presentation: Providing Linguistic Access: Can We Afford Not To?

• Marsha Regenstein, Ph.D., MCP., Research Professor and Director, Speaking Together, George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services
• Amy Wilson-Stronks, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
• Moderator: Cathy Cave, Director, Cultural Competency, NYS Office of Mental Health

1:30 - 3 p.m.: Workshop Session II
Workshop D: Linguistic Access Technologies and Innovations in Healthcare Settings

• Emily Ambizas, Ph.D. St. John's University & Linda Weiss, Ph.D., New York Academy of Medicine
• Cornelia E. Brown, Ph.D., Founding Director, Multicultural Association of Medical Interpreters (MAMI)
• Siddharth Rastogi, M.BA., Co-founder,  SimulTel Inc.
• Moderator: Kathy Miraglia M.S., C.S.C. Director, Interpreter Services, University of Rochester

Workshop E: Developing an Action Plan for a Linguistically Competent Organization: Lessons from the Field

• Karen Scott Collins, M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
• Gayle Tang, M.S.N., R.N., Director of National Linguistic & Cultural Programs, National Diversity, Kaiser Permanente
• Virginia Tong, M.S.W., Vice President, Cultural Competence, Lutheran HealthCare
• Moderator: Lynn Stone, M.A., Bureau of Refugee & Immigrant Assistance, New York State Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance

Workshop F: Ensuring High Quality Interpretation and Translation

• Wilma Alvarado-Little, M.A., Co-chair of the Board, National Council on Interpreting in Healthcare
• Javier Gonzalez, Director of Language Initiatives, Center for Immigrant Health, New York University School of Medicine
• Moderator: Tammy Arnstein, Director, Language Access, New York City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs

3:30 - 4:45 p.m.: Plenary Session and Discussion Groups: Toward New York State and National Language Access Policies

• Kick Off Speaker: Maysoun Freij, M.PH., Health Policy Associate, New York Immigration CoalitionModerator: Karen Anderson, M.Ed.., M.PH., Director of Public Policy, Family Planning Advocates of New York State

4:45 - 5 p.m.: Concluding Remarks
Dina Refki, D.A. Director, Immigrant Women & State Policy, Center Women in Government & Civil Society, University at Albany