EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Between 1990 and 2000, the Latino population in the United States increased by 61 percent, becoming the largest minority group. Language differences contribute to patient safety and access to healthcare concerns for limited English proficiency (LEP) Latinos. The objectives of this research were to determine the techniques rural hospitals use to accommodate Spanish-speaking LEP patients, to identify strengths and barriers to providing language services, and to describe local approaches to language assistance services.

Surveys were mailed to 841 hospitals in 544 rural counties with moderate to high Latino growth rates between 1990 and 2000. A total of ...