Study highlights language barriers faced in healthcare

Los Angeles Times, March 21, 2008

The Asian Pacific American Legal Center in Los Angeles has released a study documenting the language barriers faced by nearly one in three Los Angeles County residents, or 2.5 million people. The data show that most of residents in five of the county's eight service planning areas--which are used to plan and deliver health and social services--speak a language other than English at home. Immigrant advocates say that scores of patients fall through the cracks, resulting in delayed care, misdiagnoses and unnecessary procedures leading in some cases to death.