I just got back from an amazing/inspiring/motivating yom iyun, focusing on the accessibility of patient rights. There were presentations from doctors, professors, administrators, social workers and government officials, all surrounding this urgent objective. 

A few important points:

Everybody knows the challenge

Only within the past few years the concept of bridging the awareness gap between patients and the help and support that they are entitled to has gained a life of its own. There are now several organizations dedicated to finding and implementing solutions, and many more institutions collaborating on these initiatives.

Personally, I’m amazed at how an idea can suddenly be “in the air”, with so many people recognizing it on their own and tackling it from different directions. At the same time that I was first formulating my concept and approach to English accessibility, the Hadassah social work department was just launching their Kivunim  information center, Amitai Korn was conceiving Kol Zchut, Bituach Leumi was revamping their website, and many more institutions were waking up!

English is a slice of the (humble) pie

Israel has much to be proud of in its institutions of public support and protection. Universal healthcare, the social safety net, and the protection of patient rights are all enshrined in law and continually maintained and improved upon. But (!), Israelis of all stripes are missing out on some or all of these entitlements. The statistics on uptake of the support programs that are in place (from Bituach Leumi and elsewhere) for all of the relevant populations are dismal.

Still, certain populations are particularly weak, foremost- immigrants. Yes, English speakers in Israel are immigrants, sharing all the challenges of integration encountered by the Russians, French, Ethiopians, etc. with a few unique hurdles of our own. Something must be done to bolster the awareness and acquisition of entitlements among immigrant communities and every participant in today’s yom iyun agrees. The Shira Pransky Project is making sure that the English speaking community specifically is recognized and addressed.

So what is being done right now?

The general director of the Misrad Habriut issued a directive to all medical service institutions in February 2011 that they must reach a certain standard of “cultural competence”. The gist- all information and services must be accessible in Hebrew, Russian, Arabic and… English! Many people and organizations, including The Shira Pransky Project, are working hard to push this objective and assist institutions scrambling to fulfill it (more about that in a moment).

Government institutions are upgrading and updating their websites, opening information centers, and even co-opting social media to inform the public, respond to inquiries and give directions. (We have direct assurance from Gov.il that they respond to English questions on facebook and twitter.)

Kol Zchut, Kivunim and other organizations, are all constantly promoting information and awareness via their programs. The Shira Pransky Project is working directly with these organizations and others to assist them in English accessibility with translations, recruiting bi-lingual volunteers, and more.

The Shira Pransky Project is also constantly engaging more organizations to advocate for the assistance non-profits to adopt, and maybe even lead the way, in meeting the Health Ministry’s standards for cultural competence, and  our website is in a constant state of evolution to better simplify and present useful information. 

So what can you do right now?

1. Get Familiar

   Get to know your rights, entitlements, and avenues for information and support. You can start with our website, but also visit your Kupat Cholim’s English site, and the various English Government sites. Read your Kupat Cholim’s English brochure(s). Read the other English publications out there. Save yourself the pain and frustration of navigating the system, or worse- missed opportunity, by understanding the system you belong to right now.

2. Speak Up!

   Your Kupat Cholim has an ombudsman’s office, and the Health ministry has an ombudsman’s office, dedicated to receiving complaints and protecting your rights. These professionals need to hear your issues about compromised service in English (or any other issues) in order to address them, and to emphasize the importance of English accessibility in their institutions. The public ombudsman from the Health Ministry spoke today specifically about how even a single complaint about an issue can help them raise flags and result in huge reforms! 

   Also, the public advocacy organization Emun Hatzibur has specifically called for complaints relating to language barriers in health service institutions. They will fight for you to address any imminent situation, and they will use your issue to bolster the Health Ministry’s directive on cultural competence. They can be contacted directly, or you can email these specific complaints to The Shira Pransky Project to be passed on to them.

3. Unite!

   I’ve held back considerably from launching into a diatribe on the need for English speakers in Israel to come together as a community, especially over important issues. We want institutions to recognize and address the specific needs of our community, but we must also recognize ourselves as such. Whether you have been here for years or weeks you are walking in the shoes of all those ancestors that passed through Ellis Island, and all those other ports around the world, for generations. Yes, this time at least we are immigrants to our own homeland (ironically enough), but here once again, we need the support of our fellows in order to integrate and make it in our (please God) final destination.

4. Get Involved!

   The Shira Pransky Project recruits bi-lingual volunteers to directly assist health and support organizations in English accessibility and for specific projects. We could also use some help ourselves. Of course, our efforts require financial support, so please donate to support English accessibility. And spread the word.

Congratulations!

You read the whole thing! I guess you agree that this is important stuff, so please share it with others, and leave a comment!