VHIO strives to eliminate language barriers in healthcare settings by providing trained volunteer interpreters from UC Berkeley to healthcare organizations and facilities for underserved, limited English proficient (LEP) communities in the Bay Area.

Currently, we have official training and established volunteering opportunities for Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese interpreters. In our goal to reach out to more populations, we welcome speakers of other languages to help us expand our language capacities.

Spanish Recruitment Information

VHIO is recruiting for Spanish this spring!

Note: because of the importance of cultural competency, we only accept native speakers (you have learned Spanish as a heritage language from your family) or if you have lived in a Spanish-speaking country for at least 6 months.

(All other languages, please apply in the fall)

We strongly encourage prospective applicants to attend our info session on Monday Jan 30th from 7-8pm in 2032 VLSB to hear our presentation and ask questions.  Officers will speak about VHIO, their experience, and your involvement! Please bring any questions you have.

Important dates:
Mon Jan 23rd 7-8pm…………Info session 2032 VLSB
Sun Jan 29th 11:59pm……….APPLICATIONS DUE VIA EMAIL
Mon Jan 30th…………………Notifications for interview time
Wed Feb 1st – Sun Feb 4th…..In-language interviews
Mon Feb 5th…………………..Final notifications for acceptance
Wed Feb 8th 6:30-8pm……….First training

Responsibilities of volunteers include patient advocacy, interpreting at health fairs, and attending health related community service events that require interpreting services.

***Please note that volunteers are required to receive training from 6:30-8pm on Wednesdays, starting on Wed, Feb 8th.***

With the knowledge and skills you learn from the training, you will be able to interpret at clinics and health fairs, participate in patient education as health coaches, and outreach to form new collaborations.

Please click here for the application (due Sunday Jan 29th at 11:59pm)

<a href="http://calhbc.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/2012_vhio_spanish_info_session.ppt"Please click here for the Powerpoint presentation from the info session

Feel free to email any questions to cal.vhio@gmail.com

January 2012 Newsletter

Please click here to view VHIO’s January 2012 newsletter.  Read about VHIO’s latest news, what is planned for 2012, and an alumni spotlight featuring Janice Chow.

VHIO Officer Applications

The officer application to be an officer for the 2012-2013 school year can be found here. The directions, position descriptions, and an explanation of intern and officer roles are included.

The applications are due online by 11:59pm on Sunday January 29th. Please note that this is slightly earlier than the previously mentioned deadline of Tuesday January 31st.

Email us if you have any questions!

Officer Position Info Session Powerpoint Slides

The officer position info session powerpoint from the end-of-semester potluck can be found here. Applications will be released by the end of December, and they are due on January 31st.

Enjoy your winter break!

VHIO December Newsletter

Please click here to view the December 2011 newsletter! It includes a debrief on a successful health fair in Oakland, and alumni spotlight featuring Vivian Chan who is working in the business field right now.

VHIO End-of-Semester Celebration

We will be celebrating all of VHIO’s wonderful work this semester with an end-of-semester social this Friday, 12/2 at 6:30pm in 156 Dwinelle.

It will be a potluck, so please sign up for food! In previous years, members have brought a delicious variety of food.

We will also be having an officer application info session for anyone considering applying to be an officer for the 2012-2013 school year. A large number of officers are graduating this year, and all are encouraged to find out more about the role of officers and apply! It is an exciting time for VHIO, as we are continuing to shape the organization and establish new projects.

Support VHIO by Eating Soup, Salad, and Sandwiches!

What: Fundraiser! Print and present this flyer, and 20% of your purchase will go towards supporting VHIO

Where: Stuffed Inn (located at 1829 Euclid Ave)

When: Wednesday 11/30 & Thursday 12/1 1-5pm

Hopefully we will see many VHIO members there so it will be a good opportunity to get to know each other!

Multicultural Health and Wellness Fair at Oakland

VHIO provided interpretation services at Regeneration Church. Over 300-400 people came so we deem it to be pretty successful. VHIO members helped out with registration and interpreted for screenings (blood pressure, BMI, eyes), flu shot immunization, and at the HealthPAC workshop.

Kristine, one of our Vietnamese volunteers, was also asked what Hepatitis B was and so, had the chance to apply Decal material she learned in a real-life situation!

Since there not many Chinese speaking patients who needed interpreters, our Chinese volunteers helped out with directing patients to screening, serving food among other tasks.

Mission Creek Clinic

VHIO interpreters collaborated with Partners in D and Project Brown Bag for the first time on Saturday, November 12. The event was a success! We helped plenty of patients and the majority of these seniors does not speak English. The patients were so grateful for the services provided, and they would love for Parnters in D and Project Brown Bag to come back.

Professional interpreters were present; in addition to providing interpretation services, VHIO was able to gain exposure to and learn from other interpreters.

Mt. Zion Clinic Flow Powerpoint

New volunteers may find our Mt. Zion clinic flow powerpoint useful. Please look over it before your first clinic, and it may be helpful to look at it your first few times to familiarize yourself.

Don’t hesistate to ask us if you have questions during clinic! Special thanks to clinic coordinators Judy Lim and Angela Chen for compiling this useful guide.