Volunteer Health Interpreters Organization

Volunteer Health Interpreters Organization, better known as VHIO, provides verbal interpretation and document translation for healthcare related services in the San Francisco Bay Area. **FOR MORE INFO: <www.calvhio.org> Our application for 2023-2024 is currently closed! Please check back during early Fall 2024 for the next application cycle! Visit us at calvhio.org for the most up to date information. <a href="https://youtu.be/hsomGwJ6jvM">youtu.be</a> VHIO strives to eliminate language barriers in healthcare settings by providing trained volunteer interpreters from UC Berkeley to healthcare organizations and facilities for underserved, limited English proficient (LEP) communities in the Bay Area. VHIO is a University of California, Berkeley undergraduate student-led organization whose roots trace back to 2007, when it was established as the San Francisco Hepatitis B Collaborative (SFHBC) in partnership with University of California, San Francisco health professional students. SFHBC at Berkeley provided trained bilingual students as Asian language interpreters for two monthly UCSF hepatitis B student-run clinics, which we continue to volunteer at. Dedicated to helping stop the spread of Hepatitis B, SFHBC partnered with organizations such as the San Francisco Hepatitis B Free Campaign and helped at various screening, vaccination, and education events. Four hundred million people worldwide suffer from chronic hepatitis B infection, which tragically can lead to liver cancer early in adult life. It is the 10th leading etiologic cause of death in the world. Fortunately, the spread of the hepatitis B virus is preventable with a simple, safe, and effective vaccine. Due to an increase in demand for interpretation services, we have been expanding to provide interpretation and volunteering services for a broader range of issues beyond hepatitis B. In August 2010, SFHBC at Berkeley was renamed the Volunteer Health Interpreters Organization (VHIO) to reflect its expanded scope of language capacities and its service base across the San Francisco Bay Area. We provide trained volunteer interpreters in several languages - Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese - from UC Berkeley to healthcare organizations and facilities for underserved LEP communities. We work closely with UCSF medical and pharmacy students, UOP dental students, health workers, and medical providers to serve patients and help them overcome the language barrier in healthcare. VHIO plays an integral role in our community by outreaching to the underserved immigrant neighborhoods and assisting them at individual medical appointments and health fairs. Passionate about community empowerment, our volunteers also interpret for educational presentations on topics ranging from cancer prevention to disaster preparedness. VHIO provides the following valuable experiences for pre-health students. Interpretation: Clinical exposure and opportunities to work with underserved communities Outreach: Make connections with medical students and local healthcare organizations Training: Professional training in healthcare interpretation Members Expectations -minimum of 10 volunteering hours per semester (20 per year) -minimum of 3 General Events and 2 Department Meetings per semester (5 per year) -attend training and meet shadowing requirements (if new member) Proud Partners with: Affordable Housing Associates • Alameda Hep B Free • American Liver Foundation • Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center • Asian Community Mental Health Services • Asian Health Services • Asian Liver Center • AsianWeek • Berkeley Food Institute • Bone Health Initiative • Breathmobile • Cal Pre-dental Society • California Pacific Medical Center • Center for Early Intervention on Deafness • Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants • Center for Elderly Independence • Central American Resource Center • Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care • Chinese Community Health Plan • Chinese Hospital in San Francisco • Chinatown Public Health Center • Clinic by the Bay • Family Bridges • Fresh Approach • Korean Community Health Center • Street Level Health Project - School of Optometry • Kimochi-Kai • Labor Coach • Lifelong Medical Care • Mabuhay Health Center • Montclair Physical Therapy • Oakland Senior Center • Prevent Blindness Northern California • Project Open Hand • Rotacare Richmond Free Clinic • San Francisco Free Clinic • San Francisco Hep B Free • Satellite Affordable Housing Associates • Street Level Health Clinic • Team HBV at Berkeley • The Hep B Project • The Second Opinion • UCSF Memory and Aging Center • UCSF Partners in D • UCSF Operation Diabetes • UCSF San Francisco Hepatitis B Collaborative • UOP Hearing and Balance Center • UOP School of Pharmacy • Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay • Women's Cancer Research at Berkeley **VHIO is a nonpartisan student organization and will not endorse any candidates running for state, federal, or student government. Please do not contact us to inquire about hosting speeches or contacting our members in any way on a candidate's behalf.