COVID Update: During this period of COVID-19, health accessibility for vulnerable populations is crucial now more than ever. We are happy to announce that VHIO is transitioning to provide in-person services once again, but will continue remote services as needed to ensure the safety of providers and volunteers. Please feel free to reach out to us by filling out our request form or emailing cal.vhio@gmail.com if you would like to request a service.
If you are a prospective volunteer, we are currently recruiting for our 2024-2025 cycle! Please check out your social media platforms or fill out an interest form for the latest updates and information.
Welcome!
We are the Volunteer Health Interpreters Organization, a UC Berkeley organization that was established in 2006. We provide free health interpretation and translation services for low-English proficiency populations in the Bay Area.
Our services include interpreting for medical appointments at clinics, interpreting at health fairs or screening events, translating healthcare-related documents, and providing health educational workshops (Community Health Awareness Program). We are also piloting remote video interpretation for farther sites, and accept requests from both organizations and individuals.
Which of our services are you interested in?
About our Volunteers:
We recruit new Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese students as interpreters every fall. Throughout the fall, these bilingual students are trained in health interpretation protocols, confidentiality laws, and the correct medical terminology through an intensive 40-hour course (based on the Language Cultural Access Program curriculum from the Oakland Asian Health Services).
In the interest of confidentiality and for legal purposes, we prefer to have the health care provider request our services. For individuals who request our services, we will ask that the patient signs a patient consent form.
Please try to provide us with two weeks notice prior to the event you are requesting services for.
As a non-profit volunteer organization, we will refuse payment. Our transportation is reimbursed by grants we have received from local health organizations and UC Berkeley itself.