Stop & Shop/Giant-Landover Testing Multilingual Prescription Service
QUINCY, Mass. -- Stop & Shop and Giant Food, LLC said yesterday that they have begun testing a program that allows customers that speak limited English to talk to their pharmacists via live interpreters in over 170 languages. The service, which works like a telephone "conference call" between the pharmacist, customer, and interpreter, will be tested in 45 Stop & Shop and 20 Giant pharmacies, and is free to the Ahold banners' pharmacy customers.
Monterey, Calif.-based Language Line Services is collaborating with the chains on the program.
"This program is designed to provide pharmacy customers immediate access to professional interpreters in an average of 15 seconds, who can explain instructions, side effects, and precautions for medications in their preferred language, while reducing potential medication usage errors," said Stop & Shop/Giant s.v.p. of pharmacy operations John Fegan in a statement.
Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover also now offer Spanish-language prescription labels and information in all of their pharmacies. According to the Ahold banners, the service is being offered as a convenience to the chains' pharmacy customers who prefer to receive prescription information in Spanish, and ensures that Spanish-speaking customers have clear and complete instructions when receiving prescriptions.
"We serve a diverse customer base, and this will enable us to better serve our Spanish-speaking customers," noted Fegan of the service.
Stop & Shop operates 389 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey. Giant-Landover operates 186 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, employing about 21,000 associates.
Language Line Services offers such solutions as phone and video interpretation, document translation, interactive software-based translation, and interpreter training and certification programs in Spanish and over 170 other languages.
Monterey, Calif.-based Language Line Services is collaborating with the chains on the program.
"This program is designed to provide pharmacy customers immediate access to professional interpreters in an average of 15 seconds, who can explain instructions, side effects, and precautions for medications in their preferred language, while reducing potential medication usage errors," said Stop & Shop/Giant s.v.p. of pharmacy operations John Fegan in a statement.
Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover also now offer Spanish-language prescription labels and information in all of their pharmacies. According to the Ahold banners, the service is being offered as a convenience to the chains' pharmacy customers who prefer to receive prescription information in Spanish, and ensures that Spanish-speaking customers have clear and complete instructions when receiving prescriptions.
"We serve a diverse customer base, and this will enable us to better serve our Spanish-speaking customers," noted Fegan of the service.
Stop & Shop operates 389 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey. Giant-Landover operates 186 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, employing about 21,000 associates.
Language Line Services offers such solutions as phone and video interpretation, document translation, interactive software-based translation, and interpreter training and certification programs in Spanish and over 170 other languages.