néih góng yìngmán ma?

do you speak english?
neih sìkmsìk góng gwóngdùngwá a?
do you speak cantonese?

racialicious has a post about a texas state rep that makes some pretty ignorant statements in speaking a legislation meeting regarding voting IDs.
i bring this here because similar ignorance exists in the healthcare system as well. my grandmother-in-law, who is chinese, was hospitalized last year. The majority of workers did not even attempt to say her name (or ask how to say her name for that matter.) No privacy was given to her as her family members had to translate everything for her & she was forced to have her son relay private health information. The use of the language line (a over the phone translation service used by hospitals) was not mentioned, i believe because of the cost to the hospital. I wonder what would have happened had there been a domestic violence or elder abuse situation or if she just didn't feel like having her son know all her bodily functions.
we discussed in class this week hipaa and how to ask the family to leave until you have permission to do whatever you're doing, giving meds, asking questions, changing dressings, in front of them. Out of convenience for the healthcare worker hipaa is out the door but bigger then hipaa and regulations and policies is the individual treatment and respect for immigrant patients.