Originally published: June 16, 2020
Contact: Joon Bang
joon@napca.org
SEATTLE, WA – “We stressed to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) the negative impact their proposal to revise Section 1557 (nondiscrimination notice, taglines – short statements in multiple languages alerting individuals to the availability of language assistance services – and language access plan provisions) of the ACA would have on limited-English proficient (LEP) older adults during an Executive Order 12866 Meeting with government officials on May 12th. This final rule eliminates language access requirements that support LEP older adults in Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) and immigrant communities as they seek care for their health. More specifically, the administration’s decision to remove in-language notices on access to interpreters or language assistance (such as translated documents) is not only offensive, it is discriminatory and will invite back the barriers the 2016 provisions sought to eliminate. This is a poor decision by the administration that will only work to limit the health access our older adults need, especially during a health crisis.” – Joon Bang, President & CEO
NAPCA Helpline
The NAPCA Helpline is currently available with live support for residents in Los Angeles and Seattle in five different languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, and Korean. All Helpline counselors are available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm PST. The Helpline provides resources and information on the COVID-19, voicemail option to collect stories from older adults and their caregivers, and guided meditations in 8 languages.
English: 1-800-336-2722 | 廣東話: 1-800-582-4218 | 普通话: 1-800-683-7427 | 한국어: 1-800-582-4259 | 日本語: 1-800-398-1117 | Tagalog: 1-800-593-8087 | Tiếng Việt: 1-800-582-4336 | Español: 1-800-948-3844
National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA)
Founded in 1979, NAPCA is a national non-profit organization that preserves and promotes the dignity, well-being and quality of life of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and diverse older adults. In its 40 years, NAPCA has served over 100,000 diverse older adults through the organization’s Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), Senior Environmental Employment Program (SEE), and its Resource Center. For more information, please visit: www.napca.org.
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