CyraCom provides over-the-phone language interpretation in more than 150 languages. The use of a dual- handset telephone called ClearLink allows caregivers to converse face-to- face with non-English speaking patients and family members. Health care providers can have a trained interpreter available on the phone quickly and easily in an average of less than 25 seconds. For more information, see www.cyracom.com. (PRNewsFoto/CyraCom) TUCSON, AZ UNITED STATES 02/08/2006

[size]California Hospitals Among Top in Need for Language Interpretation[/size]

Mid-year Report Shows Increasing Diversity

TUCSON, Ariz., July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of languages needed
to communicate with limited and non-English speaking patients in U.S.
hospitals rose almost 5 percent since January. So far this year 132
different languages were utilized nationwide, with Spanish, Russian,
Vietnamese, Korean and Arabic the most requested.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060208/CLW058 )
While Spanish remains the most-needed language at hospitals in all 50
states, various Asian languages are being requested more and more.
California's top five languages include Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean,
Russian and Cantonese. New York and California account for the most
different languages requested by hospitals. California was up nearly 5
percent to 96 languages since June 2005. Colorado, New Jersey and Virginia
round out the top five list of states needing the most language
interpretation in its hospitals.
CyraCom, the premier provider of language services to the health care
industry, has just released the mid-year statistics from the CyraCom
Language Index, a proprietary database of language information drawn from
tracking its more than 900 hospitals and health care facilities nationwide.
The database is used to evaluate national and key state statistics to
measure changes and to assess possible trends.
The trend pointing to more language diversity is not surprising to
CyraCom CEO Michael Greenbaum. "The growth in America's diversity gives our
country its character. However, now diversity is no longer found only in
traditional points of immigration," he said. "Many rural and middle-market
hospitals in other states are also adopting diversity programs to provide
quality care for all patients."
For example, medical facilities in states such as Missouri and
Michigan, which saw a 500 percent increase in different languages needed
since 2005, needed interpretation for nearly 60 different languages. This
rise in language use follows a national trend. The U.S. Census Bureau
reports there are a total of 176 languages spoken throughout the country.
CyraCom provides over-the-phone language interpretation in more than
150 languages 24 hours a day to more than 900 hospitals and health care
facilities nationwide. For more information, call 770-645-4545 or go to
http://www.cyracom.com