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CIRS Interpreter Resources (DRAFT UD)

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Thanks for working with CIRS!

This CIRS Interpreter Resource webpage was created for quick access to CIRS information and resources. If you would like to see something added, please email us at cirsscheduling@hasa.org.

QUICK LINKS:

Please direct any questions to dcoyne@hasa.org

CIRS Contact Information

HASA/CIRS HR Documents

New Requirements and Operational Best Practices

  • The CIRS direct line for interpreters, (240) 219-5133, will connect you to a CIRS team member immediately.  Also, feel free to text this number to reach a CIRS team member or email CIRSscheduling@hasa.org for all your needs (assignment or invoicing related).
    • For urgent after-hours needs, interpreters should call (versus texting) the CIRS on-call scheduler at (240) 219-5133.
    • Non-urgent texts received after-hours (between 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.) will be replied to at the start of the next business day.
  • If CDC/state guidelines are not adequately followed at assignments, interpreters have the right to leave if situations are deemed unsafe after informing the person(s) in charge. More than ever before, interpreters are asked to keep CIRS updated on any assignment-related issues or changes.
    • If it is possible, we ask interpreters to approach those in charge at assignments to share concerns of specific CDC/state guideline(s) not being followed.  Then, if concerns are not adequately addressed, interpreters may inform the person(s) in charge that they will need to excuse themselves due to an unsafe environment because of the lack of adherence to CDC/state policies. If interpreters determine to end an assignment early because of this, they are to speak with a member of the CIRS team immediately so next steps can be determined.
  • Again, keep the CIRS scheduling team updated as soon as you have concerns; we can contact site contacts on your behalf if needed. We do this for your own safety as well as those around you. We hope you will also find the information on this page will help you draft your own way to address any concerns.
  • CIRS will report businesses that are not following the proper safety guidelines, e.g. like mask wearing and/or social distancing, and we encourage interpreters to do the same. The Governor's Office set up a hotline to report concerns about establishments that are not following proper safety guidelines. We recommend that you contact 1-833-979-2266 or prevent.covid@maryland.gov directly to report this.

COVID-Related Best Practices

  • COVID-19 Updates for Health Care Providers
  • The Maryland Department of Health makes it easy for you to be COVIDReady.
    • Go Boost, now, for the best protection against COVID.
    • Keep at-home COVID tests handy and use them if you have any symptoms.  COVID treatments must begin within 5 days of the onset of your symptoms, so test and call your doctor to ask about treatment if you test positive.
    • Be COVIDReady, and go live your life to the fullest! For more information Find a provider near you at covidtest.maryland.gov or contact the call center at 1-855-MDGOVAX (1-855-634-6829). STOP to end
  • Exposed? Tested Positive?  Check out CDC’s guidelines here to know what to do and for how long.
  • Face Coverings, according to the CDC guidelines (links provided below), "A mask is NOT a substitute for social distancing. Masks should still be worn in addition to staying at least 6 feet apart." Furthermore, it states that everyone should wear a mask in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
    • Masks should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
    • Outside your home: Put 6 feet of distance between yourself and people who don’t live in your household.
    • Mask Recommendation Article
  • Social Distancing, the CDC recommends that people stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people.  Keeping distance from others is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick. CIRS would like to emphasize that some people without symptoms may be able to spread viruses and adherence to both CDC and state guidelines are expected.
  • For more information on the COVID-19 pandemic and best practices to protect yourself, please review additional resources provided by the Maryland Department of Health and CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Please direct any questions to dcoyne@hasa.org

CIRS-uSked Resources

  • CLICK HERE to access the uSked Scheduling Platform
    • Getting Started in uSked Guide for Service Providers (click here)
    • uSked App. Guide (click here)
      • Keep your uSked profile up-to-date by setting expiration dates for Your Paperwork documents to receive email reminders when it comes time to update them.
    • For HR, billing, and CIRS purposes, the YOUR PAPERWORK section in uSked is used to retrieve paperwork. Independent contractors should work closely with CIRS team members to keep their paperwork up-to-date:
      • Current resume
      • Copy of interpreting certification(s)
        • We currently accept any national certification that is recognized by RID. Upload a copy of your card or results in uSked. For interpreters who do not hold national certification, your CIRS screening results are uploaded in this section.
        • EIPA scores of 3.5 or above are accepted.
      • Signed copy of the CIRS Independent Contractor Guidebook (via Docsketch)
        • Click here to re-sign it for an additional copy.
      • Completed IRS W-9 Form
      • Direct Deposit Authorization form
        • Interpreters can complete the Authorization form to initiate Direct Deposit to your bank account (if you need this form, click here - please email HASA's HR Generalist, hr@hasa.org with any questions). Or, together, we can go GREEN and play a small role in protecting the environment by updating and maintaining your Direct Deposit through our online payment portal Paycom.
      • Annual Flu Shot
      • Headshot photo
        • Customers with CIRS accounts can view assigned interpreters if provided in uSked.
    • Baltimore CITY Public Schools CJIS (if applicable), required only for Baltimore City Public Schools (this is completed through the BCPS main office).
    • Baltimore COUNTY Public School Background Check Clearance Card
      • Required only for Baltimore COUNTY public schools (this is completed through the county school office); upload a copy of your Background Check Clearance Card in uSked.
      • Baltimore County PS Interpreter Log Please have form signed and sent in every Friday, only needs to be signed by one teacher per day
    • Medical assignment requirements:
      • Proof of Negative TB Test
        • To work in hospital settings, you must show proof that you have a negative TB test. A purified protein derivative (PPD) skin test is a test that determines if you have tuberculosis (TB). TB is a serious infection, usually of the lungs, caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This bacteria spreads when you breathe in the air exhaled by a person infected with TB.
      • Proof of Two Varicella vaccines or Chickenpox vaccine
        • To work in some hospital settings, contractors must show two varicella vaccines, or equivalent, or lab titer report on lab letterhead or report with values signed and on letterhead, or proof of receiving the Chickenpox vaccine.
      • Annual Flu Shot
        • You need an annual Flu Shot to work in some hospital settings; you must show proof that you are current with your flu shots.
      • COVID-19 Vaccination - TBA

Feedback

  • Use the Provide Feedback in the uSked app for both assignment and consumer-related information.
  • Customers and consumers can use the CIRS Online Feedback Form to provide feedback to the CIRS team; they are also welcome to contact us via email or phone.

Interpreting Resources

There are a lot of documents pertaining to COVID-19 and the work you do. CIRS compiled a short list of important ones that we hope you find helpful. If you know of others that you would like to see on this list, please let us know!

Advocating for Language Access

The ADA.gov website elaborates on effective communication, “People who have vision, hearing, or speech disabilities (“communication disabilities”) use different ways to communicate. For example, people who are blind may give and receive information audibly rather than in writing and people who are deaf may give and receive information through writing or sign language rather than through speech.”

Health Care Designation for Disabilities Service Personnel

Per ODHH’s website, “Governor Hogan issued an executive order ensuring that workers who provide important support services to the disabled will be treated as health care providers under the recently-enacted Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This order officially recognizes the essential function of services for the disabled—including in-home care, interpreting services, social services, and support systems for substance abuse and mental illness—and designates those who provide these services as essential health care providers.