WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- NetworkOmni Multilingual Communications (NetworkOmni) -- a leading global provider of oral interpretation, written translation, cultural competence training and language communication solutions -- today announced at the Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations (QHCCDP) National Conference in Seattle, Wash. that it is rolling out a first-of-its-kind package of multilingual and multicultural communications solutions for health care organizations. The NetworkOmni Head of the CLAS(SM) compliance program enables hospitals, health care systems, physicians and other health care providers to meet an array of local, state and federal requirements that require culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS).

The Head of the CLAS compliance program allows customers to take advantage of a customized package of the various services required to meet numerous regulations and standards of care. The package is tailored to the unique needs of each client and includes a combination of NetworkOmni's core services (telephone interpreting, on-site/in-person interpreting, document translation and localization, language proficiency testing, video remote interpreting for American Sign Language, dual handset phones) and a newly created cultural competence training program, Caring with CLAS: cultural competence in health care(SM).

"Our customers in health care have expressed tremendous interest in programs and services that promote understanding about legislative mandates related to cultural and linguistic competence," said George Ulmer, Chairman & CEO of NetworkOmni. "By offering a customized selection of language access services and cultural competence training, we support their efforts to achieve compliance."

The goal of the newly launched Caring with CLAS: cultural competence in health care training is to support national efforts to improve health outcomes, reduce disparities in health care, decrease medical errors, and provide high-quality care to diverse patients, families, and communities. The curriculum is based on the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health's standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate services as well as the ethics and standards of practice issued by the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care. The training program addresses Title VI of the Civil Rights Act as well as existing and emerging legislation from federal, state and local government agencies and requirements of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA).

"The Caring with CLAS program is the ideal gateway to the cultural competence journey," said Robert C. Like, M.D., M.S., professor and director of the Center for Healthy Families and Cultural Diversity, Department of Family Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. "Delivered by a group of certified, expert trainers, this excellent, evidence-based program prepares health care professionals to improve the quality and safety of care provided to our increasingly diverse patient population."

The program is accredited and sponsored through the UMDNJ's Center for Continuing and Outreach Education -- in coordination with the policies and procedures set forth by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the National Association of Social Workers, the International Association for Continuing Education & Training, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and the American Academy of Physician Assistants -- in order to grant continuing education credits to physicians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, administrators and physician's assistants.

For more information about NetworkOmni's Head of the CLAS compliance package and cultural competence training, please visit NetworkOmni's booth at the QHCCDP conference. More information about cultural competence legislation will be provided at the following presentations:

Wednesday PM (2:00PM - 4:00PM) October 18, 2006

Cultural Competence and Disparity Reduction: Groundbreaking State Policy Initiatives

Panelist: Darci L. Graves, MA, MA Cultural Competence Training Manager, NetworkOmni Multilingual Communications (Thousand Oaks, CA)

Moderator: Robert Like, MD, MS Professor & Director, Center for Healthy Families & Cultural Diversity, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (New Brunswick, NJ)

Friday AM (10:30AM - 12:30PM) October 20, 2006

Washington's Health Disparities Initiatives: Implementation and Recommendations for the Future

Panelist: Darci L. Graves, MA, MA Cultural Competence Training Manager, NetworkOmni Multilingual Communications (Thousand Oaks, CA)

Moderator: Craig McLaughlin, MJ, Washington State Department of Health (Olympia, WA)

About NetworkOmni Multilingual Communications

NetworkOmni, headquartered in Westlake Village, California, is celebrating its 25th year as an industry-leading language service provider. With a network of highly screened, certified, and skilled language professionals, NetworkOmni provides solutions for a range of global industries, including financial services, insurance, legal, health care, technology, hospitality, emergency 911, and state and federal agencies. The company is one of the largest providers of telephone interpretation services worldwide. In addition to delivering on-demand telephone interpretation in 150 languages, NetworkOmni offers document, web and multimedia translation, as well as on-site interpreters, language proficiency testing, cultural competence training, and monitoring services. NetworkOmni maintains operations in the United States, Canada and Latin America, and is available to schedule services worldwide. For additional information, visit http://www.networkomni.com/.

Contacts: NetworkOmni Tammy Gentry (800) 543-4244 x2279 Edelman Jacqueline Quintanilla (323) 202-1053

CONTACT: Tammy Gentry, 1-800-543-4244 x2279 for NetworkOmni; or
Jacqueline Quintanilla, +1-323-202-1053 for Edelman

Web site: http:///http://www.networkomni.com/