Touted as "Audio Video Interpreting Services on Demand," the service is available 24 hours, seven days a week. To use it, all one has to do is plug in a television monitor, call the phone number by its side and wait for a return call transmitting the video picture.

Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Rose Nolan said with the number of hearing-impaired in the area, a better communications system was necessary at the hospital, part of the Heritage Valley Health System.

"We have a significant deaf or hard-of-hearing population here in Beaver County," she said. "Whether it's a patient or their family members, we are required to provide interpreter services for them in care, diagnosis and when signing forms."

Previously, Nolan said the hospital hired private, certified individuals from around the area to do the job, but that didn't always work out with the timing. Nolan said it was sometimes difficult, especially in emergency situations, to get an interpreter to the hospital quickly.

"There were times when we weren't able to acquire the services as quickly as we needed them," she said. "It was frustrating for the patients and the families and staff."

Nolan said the hospital is not permitted to substitute a family member, even one fluent in American Sign Language, as the interpreter between a deaf person and the doctor. There's too much risk, Nolan said, the family member won't properly transmit medical language. Plus, if there's a family member involved, there's bound to be emotion, she said, particularly if the doctor is relaying bad news.

"There needs to be an impartial, objective third party who's qualified and understands medical terminology as accurately as needed," Nolan said.

Since its installation earlier this month, Nolan said the mobile device already has been used once to success in the emergency room. Heritage Valley also plans to install Deaf Talk at its Sewickley Valley Hospital.

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