The Virginia Medical Interpreter Training Grants Program was established to build capacity statewide to deliver linguistically appropriate healthcare services and communicate with limited English proficient (LEP) individuals in the event of a public health emergency. Funds are being made available to pay for the cost of tuition to a limited number of bilingual individuals each year who wish to be trained as medical interpreters through an authorized Virginia course provider.
Determine if you are eligible to participate in Virginia Training Grants Program by answering the below questions. If you answer yes to all of the following questions, you are eligible!
Upon completion of the program, each recipient must:
Download the application. You will need to check the information on this website to identify your community service region.
Download the contract, sign it and send it to:
Virginia Department of Health
Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy
Golam Rabbani, CLAS Coordinator
109 Governor Street, Suite 1016-East
Richmond, Virginia 23219
For the 40 credit hours of tuition paid on their behalf, an applicant must agree to participate in 40 hours of community service (community service hours must be completed within 12 months after course completion) as an interpreter through an authorized Virginia course provider interpreter service program AND/OR an authorized healthcare safety net provider site. Applicants must also be willing to be called on to assist with interpretation in the event of a public health emergency.
Provider |
Contact Information |
Course Name(s) |
|---|---|---|
Blue Ridge Area Health Education Center |
Susannah Lepley |
Bridging the Gap |
Northern Virginia Area Health Education Center |
Adelya Carlson |
Bridging the Gap Interpreting in Health and Community Settings |
Refugee and Immigration Services |
Rosemary Rodriguez |
Interpreting in Health and Community Settings |
Refugee and Immigration Services |
Mayra Creed |
Interpreting in Health and Community Setting |
VCU Medical Center |
Vilma Seymour |
Interpreting in Health and Community Settings |
To request inclusion on this list of authorized Virginia course providers, please contact Golam Rabbani, Virginia Department of Health, Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy, (804) 864-7437.
Virginia Association of Free Clinics Member Sites
Virginia Department of Health Local Health District Sites
Virginia Primary Care Association Member Sites
Safety net providers are defined by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) as “providers that by mandate or mission organize and deliver a significant level of health care and other healthrelated services to the uninsured, Medicaid, and other vulnerable patients.” These providers have two distinguishing characteristics:
These core safety net providers typically include federal, state, and locally supported community health centers (CHCs) or clinics, many of which are deemed Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), public hospital systems, and local health departments. In some communities they also include mission driven teaching hospitals, community hospitals and ambulatory care clinics (which are often located in central city areas or serve as the sole provider of health care in the community).
Rural health clinics (RHCs), small rural hospitals, critical access hospitals (CAHs), clinics that receive Ryan White HIV/AIDS grant funding, and nurse managed clinics also are important examples of key components of the safety net. (Source: http://www.hrsa.gov/medicare/forpartdsponsors.htm)
Other safety net providers may be eligible for this program. To request inclusion on this list of authorized Virginia course providers, please contact Golam Rabbani, Virginia Department of Health, Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy, (804) 864-7437.
Golam Rabbani
Virginia Department of Health
Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy
(804) 864-7437
Golam.Rabbani@vdh.virginia.gov
Susannah Lepley
Blue Ridge Area Health Education Center
(540) 568-3383
lepleysm@jmu.edu