We Are Proud To Announce This Year's Winner of
The 2009 IMIA Raquel Cashman Language Access Award
Louis F. Provenzano, Jr.


Izabel Arocha presenting Louis F. Provenzano, Jr. with
the Raquel Cashman Award at the 2009 IMIA Conference

---

IMIA RAQUEL CASHMAN LANGUAGE ACCESS AWARD

About the Award
The IMIA Raquel Cashman Language Access Award was established in 1993 by the International Medical Interpreters Association, in memory of Raquel Cashman, Director of the Interpreters Department at Boston Medical Center, and the initial founding member of the Board of Directors of the IMIA. Raquel was an impassioned advocate for medical interpreting and LEP patient rights. This annual award perpetuates the enduring contributions of this health care and community leader by recognizing the achievements of individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to improving patient safety and language access in health care, and individuals who, through a specific initiative or project, have made an important contribution to our field at a national or international level. The 2009 Award will be presented at the IMIA Annual Conference October 11th in Boston, Massachusetts.

Eligibility
The accomplishments of the award nominees should be clearly linked to the principles of equal access to health care for all patients regardless of national origin. These include a dedication to improving the quality of health care and patient safety, leadership in advancing methods for measuring and reporting health care language access, expanding the public’s capacity to evaluate the quality and safety of health care access, and promoting health care access via qualified medical interpreting. The Award categories are as follows:

Nominees will have demonstrated exceptional leadership and scholarship in patient safety and health care language access through a substantive body of work. Nominees may be individuals or organizations who have made a specific and significant contribution to patient safety and health care language access through:

- Research
- Innovation
- Practice
- Advocacy

Nomination Process
In 300 words or less, describe:
1. The language access achievements of the individual being nominated.
2. Why these achievements in the area of language access are important, including their specific impact on patient safety.
3.  Provide the nominee’s contact information.
4.  Additional information, such as statements of support, press clippings, endorsements, etc. can be provided. However, this additional information must be no more than five (5) pages in length.
5. Please email all information to info@imiaweb.org or fax it to 866 406 IMIA (4642).

Selection Process
An Awards Panel comprised of the IMIA Board of Directors will evaluate all submissions. The decisions of the Awards Panel are conducted by majority vote and are final. The Awards Panel will not consider incomplete nominations.

Award Presentation and Notification
The Award will be presented in conjunction with the IMIA Annual Conference. The award recipient must attend the ceremony to receive the award. Award recipients will be notified of the Award Panel’s decision no later than 2 months prior to the event.

No information on the outcome of the awards can be provided prior to the official notification of the award recipients.

Inquiries
Questions about the award should be directed to info@imiaweb.org.

---

Previous Award Recipients

2009 - Louis F. Provenzano, Jr., President and COO, Language Line Services
2008 - Loretta Saint-Louis, Director, Cambridge Health Alliance
2007 - Brunilda Torres, Ex-Director, Office of Minority Health, MA
2006 - Jane Kontrimas, Certification Committee Chairperson, MMIA
2005 - Estela McDonough, Trainer, Umass Medical Center
2004 - Carla Fogaren, Director, Good Samaritan Hospital
2003 - Maria-Paz Avery, Educational Development Center
2002 - John Nickrosz, Ex-President, MMIA
2001 - Ernest "Tony" Winsor, Esq.