Barbara Estevez

"The number has grown significantly over the last two years," said Barbara Estevez, guest relations manager for Middletown Regional Hospital.She said that Spanish is the No. 1 need, followed by American Sign Language and Chinese.Estevez said that less than 1 percent of all emergency visits require an interpreter.
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"It's available for up to nearly 150 languages," Estevez said."Even if you don't know what language they speak, the interpreters can help assess what the patient's needs are going to be."

She said the service, which is nationwide, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is especially valuable when long delays are encountered as patients wait for test results.
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"Often, in an emergency, the patient can't speak any language," said Estevez."They may be unconscious.We are not going to hold up life-saving care because we don't have an interpreter at that second."She added that an interpreter would be called to arrive as soon as possible.