Call DHCC at 610-604-0452 Voice/TTY immediately if you need an interpreter for a Deaf or hard of hearing person with an emergency.

What is 24-Hour Emergency Service?

DHCC has the longest-serving and most accessible 24-Hour Emergency Service in the Delaware Valley. During normal business hours, we respond to any emergency. After hours, our 24-Hour Emergency Service is used only for police and medical emergencies.

Our Emergency Service interpreters allow medical and law enforcement personnel to ensure that clear, effective communication will occur as outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Use of a sign language interpreter for the Deaf or hard of hearing person, minimizes the chance of misunderstanding that could escalate the emergency.

An Emergency Services coordinator will assist you in arranging for emergency interpreting. We make every effort to provide service within an hour of notification depending on interpreter availability and location of the request. A Deaf/hearing team – one interpreter who is Deaf and one interpreter who is hearing – is on-call to ensure that we are prepared for any level of communication. Please click here to view a fact sheet to learn more about the Deaf/hearing team.

As part of our Emergency Service we also offer special training for the police and emergency service personnel about providing communication access to Deaf people in an emergency. We will be glad to work with you to tailor a program to your particular needs.

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How do I get an interpreter for an emergency?
If you need an interpreter for a Deaf or hard of hearing person with an emergency, call DHCC at 610-604-0452 Voice/TTY immediately. During normal business hours, our IRD coordinators will take your request. After normal business hours, you can request an interpreter for police or medical emergencies from our 24-Hour Emergency Service. After dialing the office phone number, listen to the after-hour message and follow the prompts.

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How does the after-hour emergency service work?
Two interpreters are on-call every evening, weekend and holiday for police and medical emergencies. If you have an emergency during non-business hours, call the Interpreter Referral Department at 610-604-0452 Voice/TTY as you usually would. Listen to the after-hour message and follow the prompt to push 1 for the Emergency Service Mailbox. You will be asked to leave your first and last names, phone number and extension, location calling from and a short description of the emergency. This information will be forwarded to the Emergency Services Coordinator, who will call you back and get the rest of the information regarding your situation and dispatch interpreters to your location.

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Who will be providing the services?
In some cases, a hearing interpreter will be sent to the emergency and in other cases, a team of one Deaf and one hearing interpreter, will be sent. Some situations require a Deaf/hearing team of interpreters to ensure accurate communication. This has proven to be the most effective way to handle police and medical emergencies especially when the communication skills of the Deaf person are unknown.

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