Council hearing finds improvements but ongoing gaps in hospital language access

At a New York City Council Committee on Hospitals hearing, committee chair Council Member Mercedes Narcisse and witnesses heard officials from New York City Health and Hospitals describe a system of 24/7 interpretation by phone, video and in‑person staff while community members and clinicians urged more resources for hard‑to‑find languages and better frontline review.

The hearing focused on how New York City hospitals identify language needs, secure interpreters for urgent care and translate critical written materials for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). "New York is 1 of the most diverse cities in the world, with hundreds of languages and dialects being spoken by its residents," Council Member Mercedes Narcisse said, noting "over 1,500,000 residents in New York City are considered as having limited English proficiency or LEP." The testimony and public comments emphasized clinical safety, access to services and the need for better data and community partnerships.

Iveless Mendez Cistiniano, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at New York City Health and Hospitals, said language access is central to H+H's mission. "Language access is an essential component of Health and Hospitals' mission to deliver high quality health services to all patients regardless of the language they speak," Mendez Cistiniano testified. She said the system provides on‑demand phone and video interpretation, in‑person interpreters at select facilities, translated critical documents in the system's top 13…