History

The California Healthcare Interpreting Association was founded as the California Healthcare Interpreter's Association in 1996 by a group of interpreters and program managers. The name was changed in 2003 to the California Healthcare Interpreting Association to better reflect CHIA's mission of serving the public interest of Limited English Proficient patients, rather than serving as a strictly professional association of interpreters.

Over the years CHIA has received substantial support from The California Endowment. We had also benefited from a variety of other supporters, including Molina Healthcare, Inc.; the Amgen Foundation; LanguageLine Inc.; the federal Office of Minority Health (via the National Council on Interpreting in Healthcare and Vista Community Clinic), and hundreds of individual and organizational members.