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OMH launched of a new, free and accredited e-learning program: Improving Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals. The program, available via OMH’s Think Cultural Health website, is designed to develop behavioral health providers' knowledge and skills related to culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS).
In November 2018, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released the public use files and restricted data files for the 2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey Supplement on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services for Office-based Physicians (National CLAS Physician Survey). The National CLAS Physician Survey is the first nationally representative survey designed to describe cultural and linguistic competency and the provision of the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (the National CLAS Standards) among office-based physicians in the United States. For more information visit, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ahcd/datasets_documentation_related.htm.
OMH developed a framework and toolkit to guide health care organizations’ efforts in evaluating their implementation of the National CLAS Standards. The full report can be accessed below along with the toolkit which distills the elements of the framework and can help guide evaluations across four settings (ambulatory care, behavioral health, hospitals and public health). Report - Development of a Long-Term Evaluation Framework for the National CLAS Standards Toolkit - Evaluation of the National CLAS Standards: Tips and Resources
Think Cultural Health is a program of the U.S. Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health that provides health and health care professionals with information, continuing education opportunities, resources, and more to learn about culturally and linguistically appropriate services, or CLAS. Are you looking for other free e-learning programs on cultural competency? Check out the suite of Think Cultural Health e-learning programs at thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/education
The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (The National CLAS Standards) aim to improve health care quality and advance health equity by establishing a framework for organizations to serve the nation's increasingly diverse communities.
Culturally and linguistically appropriate services are respectful of and responsive to the health beliefs, practices and needs of diverse patients. The percentage of Americans who are racial and ethnic minorities and who speak a primary language other than English continues grow rapidly. Organizations are looking to meet the challenges of serving diverse communities and provide high quality services and care.
By tailoring services to an individual's culture and language preference, health professionals can help bring about positive health outcomes for diverse populations.
