§ 23-17-54 - Provisions of interpreter services.
SECTION 23-17-54
§ 23-17-54 Provisions of interpreterservices. – (a) Every hospital shall, as a condition of initial or continued licensure,provide a qualified interpreter, if an appropriate bilingual clinician is notavailable to translate, in connection with all services provided to everynon-English speaker who is a patient or seeks appropriate care and treatmentand is not accompanied or represented by an appropriate qualified interpreteror a qualified sign language interpreter who has attained at least sixteen (16)years of age.
(b) Each hospital shall post a multi-lingual notice inconspicuous places setting forth the requirement in subsection (a) of thissection in English and the, at minimum, three (3) most common foreign languagesused by the hospital as determined by the hospital.
(c) The receipt by a non-English speaker of interpreterservices shall not be deemed the receipt of a benefit under any provisions oflaw restricting benefits or assistance on the basis of immigrant status.
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect orlimit any rights, remedies or obligations under chapter 24 of title 11 or underchapters 87 or 112 of title 42.