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Diversity

Cultural competency is inherent in our Mission, Vision and Values and here at St. Joseph’s Health we embrace diversity as part of our commitment to our most valuable resource, our employees. The employees at St. Joseph’s exhibit a wide range of talents, knowledge and experiences and are representative of the diversity present in our neighboring communities. Sharing our varied perspectives helps St. Joseph’s fulfill our vision of providing excellent patient care to all those we encounter. St Joseph’s Healthcare System celebrates and honors our employees who are from many different countries, speak over 70 different languages and represent many different cultures.

St. Joseph’s offers a wide range of resources to  enhance our employees’ awareness of the beliefs, practices and traditions of our patients and fellow employees who come from all over the world.

Lunch and Learn Programs: Programs offered that focus on specific practices and beliefs that may impact patient care or the  patient’s and family’s experience in St. Joseph’s.  Presented by St. Joseph’s staff and community representatives from specific cultures, the presentations include a discussion of religious observances, dietary restrictions, beliefs about illness, practices around death and dying and other relevant issues. The programs are available to all St. Joseph’s staff.

Qualified Medical Interpreters: In accordance with regulatory requirements, St. Joseph’s offers qualified medical interpreters to patients and families who may be more comfortable in receiving information about their diagnosis, treatment plan, discharge information—any information related to their care—in their preferred language. St. Joseph’s staff who are fluent in another language are eligible to apply, with the permission of their supervisor, to attend a training session in Medical Interpretation. Staff must complete a brief written evaluation that will determine their eligibility. Sessions are held periodically throughout the year. The list of St. Joseph’s staff who have successfully completed the course and are qualified medical interpreters is maintained on the St. Joseph’s intranet.

CYRACOM Phones: Available throughout the St. Joseph’s Health, the CyraCom phones, referred to as the “blue phones”, offer access to medical interpretation services in more than 150 languages. Staff can access these services, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, through use of the CyraCom dual hand set phones and cordless phones, as well as any other telephone connection. The average connection time is 15 seconds. Spanish language interpretation service is instantaneous. CyraCom is endorsed by the American Hospital Association.

Services For the Hearing Impaired: American Sign Language Interpreters are available for all hearing impaired patients as well as for hearing impaired employees attending in-services. This service is arranged through Patient Relations. The hearing impaired may also choose to access a sign language interpreter through “the Rover,” a portable television system that is also obtained through Patient Relations and brought directly to the patient, family, provider or employee in need of this service.

St. Joseph’s Intranet Resources: “The Cultural, Ethnic and Religious Reference Manual for Health Care Providers” is available on the St. Joseph’s Intranet and can be located in the Nursing Section under Manuals/References Resources. It can also be accessed in Soarian in the Patient History Section.

St. Joseph’s Health has always been open to new ideas as our employees work together to achieve our goals. Our work force is a tapestry of individuals woven together to provide quality, compassionate care to all.

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