HAP Achievement Awards: Phoenixville Hospital

July 11, 2025

HAP's annual Achievement Awards honor hospitals and health systems for their innovation, creativity, and commitment to patient care. The Achievement Awards showcase and share member hospitals’ and health systems’ successful programs and best practices.

Phoenixville Hospital received the Community Champions Award for expanding access and promoting health equity through interpretation and navigation services.

Here’s what you need to know:

• The challenge:  Growth in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking patient populations revealed persistent gaps in access, understanding, and health outcomes.
• Addressing the Issue:  Language barriers impeded communication and understanding, limiting access to care and making it harder for patients to navigate the system and manage other social needs.
• Taking Action:  In response to rising health disparities, bilingual staff provided in-person interpretation, guided patients through care, connected them to resources, and offered support through hospital rounding and community outreach.
• Results:  Patient testimonials, safety outcomes, and survey feedback, along with a combined 40-percent increase in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking patients, demonstrate that consistent use of in-person bilingual staff has improved trust, reduced errors, and enhanced the care experience for linguistically diverse populations.
• Advancing Care:  In their submission, the team shared a story from a patient who said he “would not have made it because he did not understand the system and he felt like someone cared about him,” illustrating how in-person bilingual support strengthens patient engagement, improves navigation, and reduces barriers to care.

Congratulations to Phoenixville Hospital for its outstanding efforts to advance the health and well-being of its community. Learn more about the project online.

Questions about the HAP Achievement Awards may be directed to HAP Member Services at (717) 561-5359.