Cultural Competency Training Available:
Cross Culture Health Care Programs: http://xculture.org/whatiscc.php
Office of Minority Health: http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=1&lvlID=3
What Is Cultural Competency?
Cultural and linguistic competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations.
'Culture' refers to integrated patterns of human behavior that include the language, thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of racial, ethnic, religious, or social groups. 'Competence' implies having the capacity to function effectively as an individual and an organization within the context of the cultural beliefs, behaviors, and needs presented by consumers
and their communities. (Adapted from Cross, 1989)
Why is it important?
Cultural competency is one the main ingredients in closing the disparities gap in health care. It’s the way patients and doctors can come together and talk about health concerns without cultural differences hindering the conversation, but enhancing it. Quite simply, health care services that are respectful of and responsive to the health beliefs, practices and cultural and linguistic needs of diverse patients can help bring about positive health outcomes. more
National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS)
The Center of Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Health Care
The Office of Minority Health (OMH) was mandated by the United States Congress (P.L. 101-527) in 1994 to develop the capacity of health care professionals to address the cultural and linguistic barriers to health care delivery and increase limited English-speaking individuals' access to health care.
The law directs the OMH to support research, demonstrations, and evaluations to test innovative models aimed at increasing knowledge and providing a clearer understanding of health risk factors and successful prevention. Check Out current information at the Office of Minority Health Website.
Mission: The Center of Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Health Care (CLCCHC) is to collaborate with federal agencies and other public and private entities to enhance the ability of the health care system to effectively deliver linguistically appropriate and culturally competent health care to limited English-speaking populations
Cultural Competency Curriculum for Disaster Preparedness
and Crisis Response
This set of courses is designed to integrate knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to cultural competency in order to help lessen racial and ethnic health care disparities brought on by disaster situations.
The courses target emergency medical personnel, disaster mental health and social workers, public health service officers, and disaster relief organization employees who have the unique opportunity to help improve access to care, quality of care, and health outcomes to those persons subject to racial and ethnic health disparities in a disaster situation. more
CULTURAL COMPETENCY RESOURCES :
- The Office of Minority Health: The Center for Linguistic
and Cultural Competence in Health Care.
- Minority Executive Directors Coalition
- National Center for Cultural Competency
Healthcare Hot Topics
Allied Health Core Curriculum Project
Cultural Competency