Rhode Island General Laws Title 23. Health and Safety § 23-17-54. Provisions of interpreter services

(a) Every hospital and freestanding emergency-care facility shall, as a condition of initial or continued licensure, provide a qualified interpreter, if an appropriate bilingual clinician is not available to translate, in connection with all services provided to every non-English speaker who is a patient or seeks appropriate care and treatment and is not accompanied or represented by an appropriate, qualified interpreter or a qualified sign-language interpreter who has attained at least sixteen (16) years of age.

(b) Each hospital and freestanding emergency-care facility shall post a multi-lingual notice in conspicuous places setting forth the requirement in subsection (a) in English and the, at minimum, three (3) most-common foreign languages used by the hospital or freestanding emergency-care facility as determined by the hospital or freestanding emergency-care facility.

(c) The receipt by a non-English speaker of interpreter services shall not be deemed the receipt of a benefit under any provisions of law restricting benefits or assistance on the basis of immigrant status.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect or limit any rights, remedies, or obligations under chapter 24 of title 11 or under chapters 87 or 112 of title 42.