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Our Mission

SHAC Interpreting Services provides a forum for the practice, development, and improvement of language and cultural skills. In particular we focus on tailoring our skills for use in the health care setting.

SHAC Interpreting Services actively seeks out interpreting opportunities for its members to hone their skills in the clinic, as well as supporting efforts to develop language skills in more informal practice sessions within the context of the organization. As part of our mission, SHAC Interpreting Services also advocates for the expanded use of Spanish and Mandarin in health care in order to address the growing patient population.

Our membership is open to UNC students and employees interested in using their skills in health care settings including medical students, graduate students, post-graduates, and undergraduates. Both membership and participation in the group’s activities are not restricted in regard to race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, or gender. A majority of the organization’s membership is comprised of UNC-CH students.

 

About Us

SHAC Interpreting Services provides a forum for the practice and development of language and clinical interpreting skills. Currently, we offer opportunities in Spanish and Mandarin. Our primary mission is to provide consistent and reliable interpreting services for the patients of the student-run volunteer clinic, SHAC.

Our membership is open to all UNC students and employees interested in improving their ability to translate in healthcare settings. The majority of members are UNC-Chapel Hill students including undergraduate, health professional, graduate, and post-graduate students, in addition to university employees.

SHAC offers free health care every Wednesday evening at the Carrboro Community Health Center, a division of Piedmont Health Services, Inc. SHAC Interpreting Services also provides interpreting and bilingual health education services at community health fairs, including La Fiesta del Pueblo, St. Thomas Moore and El Centro Hispano, among others.

 

The Community We Serve

In the last ten years, North Carolina has experienced a growth in our Latino and Mandarin-speaking populations. These growing communities face considerable language and cultural barriers to health care and social services. Often this need can be found in our own back yard. As a result, staff at local clinics has had to face the difficult task of adjusting to the changing demographics .

We provide interpreting services for SHAC (Student Health Action Committee) clinic in Carrboro, the SHAC health booth at La Fiesta del Pueblo, and other community health events. Through these opportunities, SHAC Interpreting Services hopes to improve the Spanish language skills of our members as well as encourage and advocate for expanding the use of Spanish in health care. We hope to encourage future health care workers to become better Spanish and Mandarin speakers and to incorporate the Spanish and Mandarin languages in their training and in their practice.

 

Make an Appointment

2 Options to schedule an appointment:

  1. Call 984-538-1031wait for the line to finish ringing and then leave a message with your full name, phone number, and the reason for your visit. To reduce the risk to patients and caregivers, you can request a telehealth appointment by phone or video chat for patients with concerns that can be evaluated remotely.
  2. Please fill out this request form.

Request a medication refill:

  1. Call 919-442-8207Please leave a message with your full name and phone number.

 

Contact Us

For questions related to our interpreting services, please contact shac_interpreting@med.unc.edu.