Health Equity & Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS): How Are They Connected?
Health inequities in our nation are well documented, and the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) is one strategy to help eliminate health inequities. By tailoring services to an individual’s culture and language preference, health professionals can help bring about positive health outcomes for diverse populations. The provision of health care services that are respectful of and responsive to the health beliefs, practices and needs of diverse patients can help close the gap in health care outcomes. The pursuit of health equity must remain at the forefront of our efforts; we must always remember that dignity and quality of care are rights of all and not the privileges of a few.
What are the CLAS Standards?
In 2000, the Office of Minority Health published the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (CLAS Standards), which provides the framework for all health care organizations to best serve the nation’s increasingly diverse communities. The CLAS Standards are a collective set of mandates, guidelines, and recommendations intended to inform, guide, and facilitate required and recommended practices related to culturally and linguistically appropriate health services. The CLAS Standards provide guidance on improving quality care under three areas in particular: Culturally Competent Care, Language Access Services and Organizational Supports. The Final Report, describing the CLAS Standards and their development process, was published in spring of 2001.
Download Document: CLASStandards.pdf (PDF - 194 KB)
| Standards | |
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| 1 |
Health care organizations should ensure that patients/consumers† receive from all staff members effective, understandable, and respectful care that is provided in a manner compatible with their cultural health beliefs and practices and preferred language.
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| 2 |
Health care organizations should implement strategies to recruit, retain, and promote at all levels of the organization a diverse staff and leadership that are representative of the demographic characteristics of the service area.
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| 3 |
Health care organizations should ensure that staff at all levels and across all disciplines receive ongoing education and training in CLAS delivery.
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| 4 |
Health care organizations must offer and provide language assistance services, including bilingual staff and interpreter services, at no cost to each patient/consumer with LEP at all points of contact and in a timely manner during all hours of operation.
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| 5 |
Health care organizations must provide to patients/consumers in their preferred language both verbal offers and written notices informing them of their right to receive language assistance services.
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| 6 |
Health care organizations must ensure the competence of language assistance provided to limited English proficient patients/consumers by interpreters and bilingual staff. Family and friends should not be used to provide interpretation services (except on request by the patient/consumer).
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| 7 |
Health care organizations must make available easily understood patient-related materials and post signage in the languages of the commonly encountered groups and/or groups represented in the service area.
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| 8 |
Health care organizations should develop, implement, and promote a written strategic plan that outlines clear goals, policies, operational plans, and management accountability/oversight mechanisms to provide CLAS.
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| 9 |
Health care organizations should conduct initial and ongoing organizational self-assessments of CLAS-related activities and are encouraged to integrate cultural and linguistic competence-related measures into their internal audits, performance improvement programs, patient satisfaction assessments, and outcomes-based evaluations.
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| 10 |
Health care organizations should ensure that data on the individual patient’s/consumer’s race, ethnicity, and spoken and written language are collected in health records, integrated into the organization’s management information systems, and periodically updated.
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| 11 |
Health care organizations should maintain a current demographic, cultural, and epidemiological profile of the community as well as a needs assessment to accurately plan for and implement services that respond to the cultural and linguistic characteristics of the service area.
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| 12 |
Health care organizations should develop participatory, collaborative partnerships with communities and utilize a variety of formal and informal mechanisms to facilitate community and patient/consumer involvement in designing and implementing CLAS-related activities.
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| 13 |
Health care organizations should ensure that conflict and grievance resolution processes are culturally and linguistically sensitive and capable of identifying, preventing, and resolving cross-cultural conflicts or complaints by patients/consumers.
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| 14 |
Health care organizations are encouraged to make available regularly to the public information about their progress and successful innovations in implementing the CLAS standards and to provide public notice in their communities about the availability of this information.
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What is the CLAS Standards Enhancement Initiative?
The field of cultural and linguistic competency has seen tremendous growth in the decade since the CLAS Standards’ release. It has evolved from a fledgling concept to a recognized intervention in the quest for health equity. With this in mind, the Office of Minority Health is revisiting the CLAS Standards in order to reflect the past decade’s advancements, expand their scope, and improve their clarity to ensure universal understanding and implementation. The Office of Minority Health will publish the enhanced CLAS Standards in early 2012.
The enhancement initiative began in fall 2010 with an open call for public comments, three regional public comment meetings, and the convening of a National Project Advisory Committee (NPAC). With this enhancement initiative, the CLAS Standards will continue into the next decade as the cornerstone for advancing health equity through cultural and linguistic competency.
The CLAS Standards Enhancement Initiative is underway. Please provide your email if you would like to receive monthly updates!!
Legislating CLAS
State agencies have embraced the importance of cultural and linguistic competency in the decade since the initial publication of the CLAS Standards. A number of states have proposed or passed legislation pertaining to cultural competency training for one or more segments of their state’s health professionals. At least six states have moved to mandate some form of cultural and linguistic competency for either all or a component of its health care workforce. Access the Legislating CLAS map.
Think–Speak–Act Cultural Health: Part 1