ATA wrote a letter to CDC, urging “to explicitly include on-site medical interpreters among the listed examples of health care personnel (HCP) eligible for Phase 1 vaccinations, and to include on-site interpreters in other settings (community interpreting, educational interpreting, state and local government offices, court and interpreters in legal or administrative law settings) among “other essential workers” per theCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).”

We support the leading industry associations coming together to put out a strong message on the need for onsite medical interpreters to be recognized for who they are: frontline workers, regardless whether they are employees of a particular organization or work as freelancers in a variety of medical settings. 

IEO hopes that this step will help interpreters receive vaccinations in the earlier phase and may overall lead to wider acceptance of the essential, life-changing role interpreters play in healthcare, court, community and government settings.