Cultural Competency Links

Model Programs and Best Practices:

Diversity Rx
www.diversityrx.org/HTML/MODELS.htm

Description: Diversity Rx promotes language and cultural competence to improve the quality of health care for minority, immigrant and ethically diverse communities. Diversity Rx is supported by the National Conference of State Legislatures, Resources for Cross Cultural Health Care and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

Information Available: Model programs, policy and legal issues, newsletter, program profiles, training reviews, demographics, statistics, latest news, research and links.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Office of Minority Health (OMH) Resource Center,
Center for Linguistic and Cultural Competence in Health Care (CLCCHC)
www.omhrc.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=1&lvlID=3

Description: The OMH advances health and quality of life by preventing and controlling the disproportionate burden of disease, injury and disability among racial and ethnic minority populations. The OMH established the CLCCHC in 1995 as a vehicle to address the health needs of populations who speak limited English.

Information Available: Best practices (final National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care), tool kits, policy guidance, conferences, laws, initiatives, a glossary, publications, projects and events.

Federal Government:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Administration for Children & Families (ACF),
Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)
www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/orr/index.htm

Description: The ORR assists refugees, Cuban/Haitian entrants, asylees and other beneficiaries of the program to establish a new life founded on the dignity of economic self-support and encompasses full participation in opportunities which Americans enjoy.

Information Available: Refugee Medical Assistance program, other initiatives and programs, news and events, related sites, policy and legislative information, funding opportunities, reports, technical assistance and refugee data.

National Organizations:

Center for Multicultural Human Services (CMHS)
www.cmhsweb.org

Description: The CMHS staff consists of multi-ethnic, multilingual social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, education specialists, art therapists and graduate interns from local universities. CMHS offers a broad range of mental health, social, educational, health and language services geared to the unique values and characteristics of individuals and families from diverse cultures.

Information Available: Mental health services, social services, educational and language assistance, Refugee Mental Health Program, Survivors of Torture and Trauma Program, trainings, the National Alliance for Multicultural Mental Health and links.

The Cross Cultural Health Care Program (CCHCP)
www.xculture.org

Description: The CCHCP, recognizing the diversity and the different ways to health, serves as a bridge between communities and health care institutions to ensure full access to quality health care that is culturally and linguistically appropriate.

Information Available: Training programs, publications, articles, models of interpreter services, guidelines, research projects, code of ethics, resources and links.

CultureMed
culturedmed.sunyit.edu/

Description: CulturedMed, a web site promoting culturally-competent health care for refugees and immigrants, houses a research center containing relevant print materials. The bibliographies and links found on the web site contain items that discuss health beliefs or ethnographic information about various ethnic groups.

Information Available: Bibliographies (groups include: Afghanis, African, Arab, Asian, Bantu, Bosnian, Ethiopian, Hispanic, Hmong, Puerto Rican, Russian and Vietnamese), cultural aspects (i.e. books, death and dying, dental care, domestic violence, food, hospice, nursing, interpreters, mental health and traditional medicine), dictionaries, glossaries, culture and health links, refugee and immigrant health databases, health policy, foreign language health materials, statistics and resettlement agencies.

Grantmakers In Health (GIH)

Description: GIH fosters communication and collaboration among grantmakers and others and helps strengthen the grantmaking community's knowledge, skills and effectiveness. GIH exists as a professional home for health grantmakers seeking expertise and information on the field of health philanthropy.

Information Available: The following publications related to cultural competency in health care:

In The Right Words: Addressing Language and Culture in Providing Health Care
www.gih.org/usr_doc/In_the_Right_Words_Issue_Brief.pdf

Lost in the Translation: The Role of Language and Culture in the Health Care Setting
www.gih.org/usr_doc/lost_in_the_translation.pdf

Strategies for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health
www.gih.org/usr_doc/Issue_Brief_5.pdf

Management Sciences for Health (MSH),
Electronic Resource Center (ERC),
The Provider's Guide to Quality and Culture
erc.msh.org/mainpage.cfm?file=1.0.htm&module=provider&language=English

Description: The Provider's Guide to Quality and Culture assists health care organizations throughout the U.S. in providing high quality, culturally competent services to multi-ethnic populations. The Guide is a joint project of MSH, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Bureau of Primary Care.

Information Available: Basic background of cultural competency, self-quiz, provider perspective and responsibilities, health disparities, cultural groups (includes Common Health Problems in Selected Minority, Ethnic and Cultural Groups; common beliefs and practices; and an expanded look at specific cultural groups), culturally competent organizations and additional resources.

National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC)
www.georgetown.edu/research/gucdc/nccc

Description: The NCCC works to increase the capacity of health care and mental health programs to design, implement and evaluate culturally and linguistically competent service delivery systems.

Information Available: Policy briefs, newsletter, reports, cultural competency tool kits, a planner's guide, resource database, cultural and linguistic competence training, maternal and child health/children with special health needs project, Bureau of Primary Health Care project, SIDS/ID project, conferences and web links.