BALTIMORE, Maryland - Four Filipina ex-staffers of a Baltimore City hospital haven’t gotten over the shock of being summarily fired from their jobs, allegedly because they spoke Pilipino during their lunch break. (link)

The article expands to explain both the hospital and the ex-staffers. Hospitals have implemented an english-only rule for trauma facilities so that under life-and-death situations everyone can understand each other. This is another example of somewhat well meaning incorporated into poorly written, all or nothing laws. At Ben Secour Hospital you could get fired for naming ethnic dishes, one ex-staffer is currently speculating if she got fired for calling a Pilipino doctor kuya.

While the law may have good meaning to it in the trauma facilities, but we are already aware of the need for culturally competent medical services and staff. There is a lot of comfort that comes from one small word like kuya for confused patients. We need all the multilingual hospital personnel we can get, don't scare them away with poorly written and discriminatory laws.