New York State Department of Health Official Martin J. Conroy to Join Language Line Services

Will Head Up Company’s New Public Sector Programs Division

Monterey, CA – (May 19, 2008) – Language Line Services, the leading provider of interpreting and language solution services,  today announced that Martin J. Conroy, Director of the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Division of Acute & Primary Care Services, will lead the company’s recently launched Public Sector Programs division. In this new role, Conroy will spearhead Language Line Services’ public policy push towards a national medical interpreting certification standard, a campaign the company initiated in March 2007.

During his 37 combined years with the New York State Departments of Health and Social Services, Conroy has been an advocate for increased access to quality healthcare for the state’s medically underserved populations.  

In his most recent role as Director of the Division of Acute and Primary Care Services, Conroy was responsible for regulatory oversight of all New York State hospitals, diagnostic and treatment centers to ensure they operated in compliance with public health law and appropriate department regulations. As part of these efforts, he worked with public advocates and hospital associations to craft and implement New York’s regulations governing the provision of charity care, language assistance to limited-English proficient (LEP) individuals and financial aid assistance to needy patients.

Conroy was also instrumental with New York State’s current efforts to provide additional funding to hospitals to expand their language assistance programs, as well as the development of the state’s title 10 regulations that ensure hearing impaired and other limited-English speaking patients have timely access to quality interpreters – efforts that he will continue to expand upon in his new role at Language Line Services.

“We are proud to welcome Mr. Conroy to the Language Line Services team,” said Louis Provenzano, President and COO of Language Line Services.  “His depth of experience and shared passion to improve healthcare for all patient populations will be an invaluable asset to the company, the patients we serve and our current  pursuit of a national medical interpreting standard.”

The first initiative Conroy will undertake as the new head of Language Line Services’ Public Sectors Programs division will be to work with the company’s interpreting industry partners to roll out a pilot national medical interpreter certification test.  In addition, he will work with industry stakeholders on an ongoing basis to address other national, regional and statewide endeavors aimed at raising the quality and availability of language services in the healthcare setting.

“I am excited about the opportunity to work for an organization that has made such incredible strides within the healthcare interpreting field,” said Conroy.  “Having spent much of my career looking at ways to improve the quality and delivery of healthcare, I have seen first-hand the challenges that language barriers present in medical care and the importance of quality interpreting in medical diagnosis. I look forward to working with the other dedicated staff at Language Line Services and its industry partners to improve outcomes for all patients, regardless of language.”

About Language Line Services

Language Line Services, the world’s leading provider of language-based services, is a trusted partner to thousands of organizations whose focus is to effectively serve the rapidly expanding market of limited English speakers. The company delivers a dynamic suite of solutions spanning translation, transcription, phone and video interpreting, interpreter certification, localization and localized software and devices, enabling clients to communicate with customers in their preferred language. Through its leading-edge technology infrastructure, Language Line Services provides support for more than 170 spoken languages and American Sign Language to its industry-leading portfolio of clients across markets including healthcare, financial services, government, telecom, manufacturing, insurance, entertainment, travel, and more. For information on how Language Line Services is helping clients achieve their strategic multi-cultural marketing and regulatory compliance objectives, please call 1-800-752-6096 or visit http://www.languageLine.com