The User Assistance Service of the University Hospital Complex of the Canary Islands (CHUC), affiliated with the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, has launched the project ‘What if we «speak» in sign language?’ with the aim of addressing the communication needs between healthcare professionals and the deaf, hearing-impaired, and deafblind population.
The presentation of this initiative took place this Tuesday with the presence of the manager, Adasat Goya, who highlighted this new service by offering «complete assistance», the head of User Assistance, Asunción López, who explained the purpose of this project, and the head of Rheumatology, Federico Díaz, who shared his experience as a physician in a consultation where a deaf patient had an interpreter.
Also present was the sign language interpreter and User Assistance technician, Jesica Velázquez, who was signing throughout the event.
The user of this service, Domingo Hernández, congratulated the hospital and expressed his satisfaction for being able to use this assistance.
During the press conference, it was explained that the demands of these users in the healthcare field are directly addressed, advising on the necessary procedures.
Thus, Spanish Sign Language interpretation is provided in medical consultations, diagnostic tests, administrative procedures, medical information, informed consents, complaints, and any hospital procedures needed, by submitting a request to the User Assistance Service in advance.
In addition, internal training in Spanish Sign Language is maintained for staff, and informative talks for the deaf community will be held to provide knowledge of the hospital’s operation and the Rights and Duties of Users, as reported by a note from the HUC.
APPOINTMENT REQUEST
For this purpose, there are two User Assistance technicians with official qualifications as higher technicians in Spanish Sign Language interpretation, who will combine this activity with their usual functions in the Information Unit.
The established schedule, initially, is from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday at the HUC, considering that during this time frame, the highest volume of healthcare activity is concentrated, while also taking into account the needs at different times and the availability of interpreters.
To ensure the smooth operation and organization of this service, appointments with the interpreters can be made in person at the information points of the HUC (main entrance of Hospitalization and Outpatient Activities Building), via email –lse-huc.scs@gobiernodecanarias.org–, text message, or through the WhatsApp application, at the phone number 618 798 061, with prior notice, providing the name, last name, ID, day and time of the appointment, and the specialty.
This way, an agenda is created with the requests from patients who require direct real-time interpretation with healthcare or management staff.
