Allied Health Resources: Cultural Competency Resources

AAPCHO advocates for the unique and diverse health needs of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander (AA&NHOPI) communities through collaboration, training and technical assistance, production of culturally competent patient education materials, and working with policymakers. Site provides a variety of information resources.

Seattle, WA
"Offering a multicultural and multilingual approach to social and behavioral services since 1973."

The Lowell Community Health Center in Lowell, MA has implemented numerous projects to improve health and healthcare access for Khmer and Lao communities. Gives examples of community-based programs.

The National Alliance for Hispanic Health is a science-based and community-driven organization that focuses on improving the health and well being of Hispanics and works with others to secure health for all through the work of its members.

West Hartford, CT
KHA is dedicated to caring for the health needs of survivors of Cambodia's holocaust, the Mahandorai.

Santa Ana, CA
Latino Health Access programs provide outreach to address public health problems affecting uninsured and underserved communities. The organization's programs include training of promotores, or community health workers, to educate their neighbors about diabetes, breast cancer, obesity, domestic violence, parenting and more.

"GLMA's mission is to ensure equality in healthcare for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals and healthcare providers."

The Human Library is designed to build a positive framework for conversations that can challenge stereotypes and prejudices through dialogue. The Human Library is a place where real people are on loan to readers. A place where difficult questions are expected, appreciated and answered. The Human Library is a Danish idea from 2000 and is now available in more than 80 countries.

US Department of Health and Human Services.
Includes cultural competency, translated materials, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-related resources.

US Department of Health and Human Services.
Searching "cultural competency" or "health disparities" returns numerous articles, reports, and programs.

California Health Advocates
"In practicing cultural humility, rather than learning to identify and respond to sets of culturally specific traits, the culturally competent provider develops and practices a process of self-awareness and reflection."

US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health.

Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, University of California, San Francisco
The Center's mission is to increase access to comprehensive, effective, and affirming health care services for trans communities.

Georgetown University.
"The mission of the NCCC is to increase the capacity of health care and mental health care programs to design, implement, and evaluate culturally and linguistically competent service delivery systems to address growing diversity, persistent disparities, and to promote health and mental health equity."

US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health.
"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."

Waters, A & L. Asbill, American Psychological Association
"Given the complexity of multiculturalism, it is beneficial to understand cultural competency as a process rather than an end product."

From Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Developed by psychologists at Harvard, the University of Virginia, and the University of Washington, this Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures unconscious bias.

The Cross Cultural Health Care Program,
Seattle, WA

How culture influences health beliefs. A good guide to the day to day encounters with clients from other cultures. Read to the end of the page and click on next topic - doing a cultural assessment, cultural negotiation, etc.

The Cultural Atlas is an educational resource providing comprehensive information on the cultural background of Australia’s migrant populations. The aim is to improve social cohesion and promote inclusion in an increasingly culturally diverse society. Although this is developed by a group in Australia, you can think about how you might use the information to promote inclusion in the diverse society of the US.

Utilizing a literature review, interviews, and her own 30 years of experience as a community health and hospice clinician, Phyllis R. Coolen's article addresses cultural competency in end-of-life care regarding decision-making, advance directives, taboos around death, and pain management.

The CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) is a peer-reviewed general medical journal. Relevant to providers working with indigenous people of North America, this series discusses traditional values, decision-making processes for various ethnic communities and religions.

Learn about medical interpreting, effective communication, and the many points of contact a patient encounters which require clear communication.

Patient education materials in 44 languages from the MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine.

Patient education materials in easy-to-read language for people with limited English proficiency or limited literacy.

From the European Commission(DG III) and Heymans Institute of Pharmacology and Mercator School, Department of applied Linguistics.
Medical terms in Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

"The NCIHC is a multidisciplinary organization whose mission is to promote and enhance language access in health care in the United States.

The Cross Cultural Health Care Program

September 2012
National Minority AETC
BE SAFE is a framework that uses culturally pluralistic content and perspectives based on these six core elements: Barriers to Care, Ethics, Sensitivity of the Provider, Assessment, Facts, and Encounters. The BESAFE series includes guides and promising practices that address cultural competency for specific racial/ethnic populations.

University of California, San Francisco
"Increasing access to comprehensive, effective, and affirming healthcare services for trans and gender-variant communities."

University of Washington Medical Center
Culture Clues™ are tip sheets for clinicians. They are designed to increase awareness about concepts and preferences of patients from the diverse cultures served by University of Washington Medical Center.

A joint program of University of Washington Health Sciences Libraries and Harborview Medical Center's Interpreter Services Department/Community House Calls Program, Ethnomed containins medical and cultural information about immigrant and refugee groups. Caseworker cultural mediators, medical interpreters, health care providers, and ethnic community leaders author and advise on Ethnomed's content.

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Portal to information for providers and patients, including fact sheets, multimedia, research, and news.

Continuing education, technical assistance, and reports for providers caring for LGBT patients.

"The National Resource Center on LGBT Aging is the country's first and only technical assistance resource center aimed at improving the quality of services and supports offered to lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender older adults."

This report from the CDC's Native Diabetes Wellness Program includes interviews with six traditional foods programs from around the US that address health issues faced by indigenous communities through the perpetuation and revival of traditional agriculture, gathering, and preparation of native foods. Includes recipes!

MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine)
This information portal for health issues effecting African Americans includes disparities statistics, research articles, organizations, information for patients, and videos.

MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine)
This information portal to health issues affecting Asian Americans includes disparities statistics, research articles, organizations, information for patients, and videos.

Information on health disparities, leading causes of death, population demographics, and health statistics regarding the above populations. Does not break down these diverse populations by ethnicity.

Black Health champions the promotion of health and prevention of diseases to reduce disparities and achieve equity within the black community.
Concisely condensed health disparities statistics.

MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine)
This information portal for health issues effecting Hispanic or Latino Americans includes disparities statistics, research articles, organizations, information for patients, and videos.

US Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Detailed reports from 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.

MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine)
This information portal for health issues effecting Native Americans/American Indians and Alaska Natives includes disparities statistics, research articles, organizations, information for patients, and videos.

"The mission of the Office of Minority Health is to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will eliminate health disparities."
Statistics, programs, policy, knowledge center library, and more.

United States Department of Justice

United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

United States Department of Justice
Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.