Hospitals take pains to communicate with patients

Imagine going to a hospital and being surrounded by medical professionals who speak a language foreign to you: English.

That is what many immigrants and refugees in Central Pennsylvania face every time they use the health-care system. In response, hospitals around the region turn to a variety of interpretive services to bridge the language gap and help patients who speak everything from Spanish to Arabic to Vietnamese.

"Hospitals have to have (these services)," said Angie Zayas, language coordinator for Lancaster General Hospital. "We cannot expect everyone to speak English."

Zayas helps patients who do not speak English make appointments and arranges for …