By Alabama Public Radio
Birmingham, AL – Michael Johnson helps save people's lives at Cooper Green Hospital, not by using medicine, but through communication. The 34-year-old is a medical interpreter at Cooper Green. Johnson uses his services to help patients who can't speak English communicate with doctors who can't speak Spanish. He says a Hispanic man almost went into a diabetic coma once, but he interpreted for him, helping the man get his blood sugar under control. Johnson says if health care providers didn't have a medical interpreter available when Hispanic people try to communicate their illnesses, a misdiagnosis, misunderstanding or mistrust could occur.