Library Guides: Cultural Competency in Healthcare: Organizations, Policies, and Training

National Organizations, Societies, & Federal Resources

A number of non profit organizations and federal agencies have information and training opportunities to become more culturally competent within the context of medical education and the provision of healthcare to diverse people groups.

NIH: UNITE Initiative
NIH established the UNITE initiative to address structural racism and promote racial equity and inclusion at NIH and within the larger biomedical research enterprise.
CDC Office of Minority Health & Health Equity (OMHHE) The Office of Minority Health and Health Equity aims to accelerate CDC’s health impact in the U.S population and to eliminate health disparities for vulnerable populations as defined by race/ethnicity, socio-economic status, geography, gender, age, disability status, risk status related to sex and gender, and among other populations identified as at-risk for health disparities.
Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE): Cultural Competence The mission of CIRRIE is to facilitate the sharing of information between rehabilitation researchers in the U.S. and those in other countries. CIRRIE makes available to the disability community in the U.S. knowledge that has been found useful in other countries.
Commonwealth Fund: Cultural Competency Reports The mission of The Commonwealth Fund is to promote a high-performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, minority Americans, young children, and elderly adults.
DiversityRX DiversityRx is on online clearinghouse of information to improve the accessibility and quality of health care for minority, immigrant, and indigenous communities. DiversityRX is a project of the Tides Center with funding from The California Endowment to provide resources for culturally appropriate care.
Food & Drug Administration, Minority Health and Health Equity OMHHE offers many easy-to-use and culturally-appropriate resources on minority health, health disparities, and related topics.
HRSA's Culture, Language and Health Literacy The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement: Cross-Cultural Challenges: Improving the Quality of Care for Diverse Populations IHI was founded in the late 1980s by Dr. Don Berwick and a group of visionary individuals committed to redesigning health care into a system without errors, waste, delay, and unsustainable costs.
Joint Commission: Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient-and Family-Centered Care An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 20,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards.
National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education NADOHE serves as the preeminent voice for diversity officers in higher education by supporting our collective efforts to lead our institutions toward the attainment of the following goals: •Produce and disseminate empirical evidence through research to inform diversity initiatives •Identify and circulate exemplary practices •Provide professional development for current and aspiring diversity officers •Inform and influence national and local policies •Create and foster networking opportunities
National Center for Cultural Competence 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.The NCCC is a component of the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development (GUCCHD) and is housed within the Department of Pediatrics of the Georgetown University Medical Center
The National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE®) The NCORE® conference series constitutes the leading and most comprehensive national forum on issues of race and ethnicity in American higher education. The conference focuses on the complex task of creating and sustaining comprehensive institutional change designed to improve racial and ethnic relations on campus and to expand opportunities for educational access and success by culturally diverse, traditionally underrepresented populations. The Student Leadership Development Conference Scholarship Program supports a paid conference registration for each student recipient. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible.
Office of Minority Health (US Department of Health & Human Services) The Office is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities. OMH programs address disease prevention, health promotion, risk reduction, healthier lifestyle choices, use of health care services, and barriers to health care.
Provider's Guide to Quality & Culture The Provider's Guide to Quality and Culture is a joint project of Management Sciences for Health (MSH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Bureau of Primary Health Care. The Provider's Guide is part of MSH's Electronic Resource Center, which is funded in part by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Professional Statements & Guidelines

AAPA - Competencies for the Physician Assistant Profession Patient-centered,physician assistant practice reflects a number of overarching themes.These include an unwavering commitment to patient safety, cultural competence, quality health care, lifelong learning,and professional growth.
AHA - Building a Culturally Competent Organization: The Quest for Equity in Health Care A culturally competent health care system is one that acknowledges the importance of culture, incorporates the assessment of cross-cultural relations, recognizes the potential impact of cultural differences, expands cultural knowledge, and adapts services to meet culturally unique needs. Ultimately, cultural competency is recognized as an essential means of reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Written by the American Hospital Association in partnership with the Health Research & Educational Trust.
AHRQ: Setting the Agenda for Research on Cultural Competence in Health Care Health care providers take many approaches to bridge barriers to communication that stem from racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic differences. "Cultural competence" encompasses both interpersonal and organizational interventions and strategies for overcoming those differences. This document examines how cultural competence affects health care delivery and health outcomes, and it is sponsored by AHRQ and the Office of Minority Health (OMH). Part 1 of the report comprises the introduction and key findings
AOA - White Paper on Guidelines for International Electives and Cultural Competencies for Osteopathic Physicians-in-Training (AOA Membership required) BIOM has developed this White Paper to be a resource for osteopathic physicians-in-training (students, interns and residents) and osteopathic training institutions. Its suggestions and guidelines will hopefully enable osteopathic medical students, as well as interns and residents, to experience quality clinical clerkships both outside and across the United States while developing competencies in delivering care for patients of diverse cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Approved by the AOA Board of Trustees July 14, 2011.
APTA - Cultural Competence in Physical Therapy "Cultural competence" is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enable that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. Achieving cultural competence is a process, not an end point. The importance of cultural competence in patient care is supported by APTA's Operational Plan on Cultural Competence, the vision for the profession and numerous other policies, guidelines, and strategic documents.
Fundamental Osteopathic Medical Competency Domains Guidelines for Osteopathic Medical Licensure and the Practice of Osteopathic Medicine REQUIRED ELEMENT 6.7 Cultural Competency
The HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities The HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities outlines goals and actions. The Department of Health and Human Services will take to reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities. The Office of Minority Health is leading the charge to put into practice the HHS Disparities Action Plan, at all levels of the Department and in the communities with which we work.
National CLAS Standards The National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards in Health and Health Care are intended to advance health equity, improve quality and help eliminate health care disparities by establishing a blueprint for health and health care organizations.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Servies Administration (SAMHSA): TIP 59: Improving Cultural Competence "Assists professional care providers and administrators in understanding the role of culture in the delivery of substance abuse and mental health services. Discusses racial, ethnic, and cultural considerations and the core elements of cultural competence."
Transforming the Face of Health Professions through Cultural and Linguistic Competence Education: The Role of the HRSA Centers of Excellence Curriculum guide published in 2005 by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Links from Training and Assessment Tab

NIMHD (National Institute on Minority Health & Health Disparities) Translational Health Disparities Course This two-week intensive course will provide introduction in the principles and practice of health disparities research. With a focus on concepts, methods, key issues, and applications, this course aims to provide the knowledge and research tools needed to conduct and develop translational and transdisciplinary research and interventions to eliminate health disparities. The course content will be developed in the context of the history of health and health disparities in the United States. Biological and non-biological determinants of health will be addressed, and a range of social, political, economic, cultural, and legal theories related to health disparities will be covered.
US Department of Health and Human Services: A Physician’s Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care A Physician's Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care is a self-directed training course designed for physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. This e-learning program will equip health care providers with competencies that will enable them to better treat the increasingly diverse U.S. population. The content of this program has been updated to include the updated National CLAS Standards, more interactivity, and updated literature and references.
Cultural Competence Webinar Series: Quality Healthcare for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender People "This cultural competence webinar series explores the health concerns and healthcare of LGBT people and is open to anyone. We review the social determinants that influence how LGBT people seek and receive care and the impact those influences have on health. This webinar series is a project of GLMA (Gay & Lesbian Medical Association) in collaboration with the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health."
The National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE®) The NCORE® conference series constitutes the leading and most comprehensive national forum on issues of race and ethnicity in American higher education. The conference focuses on the complex task of creating and sustaining comprehensive institutional change designed to improve racial and ethnic relations on campus and to expand opportunities for educational access and success by culturally diverse, traditionally underrepresented populations. The Student Leadership Development Conference Scholarship Program supports a paid conference registration for each student recipient. Both undergraduate and graduate students are eligible.
AAMC Tool for Assessing Cultural Competence Training (TACCT)
"With increasing diversity in the U.S. population and continued evidence of health and health care disparities, it is critically important that health care professionals are educated on how their own and their patients' demographics (e.g., gender, income, race, and ethnicity, etc.) and cultural (e.g., language, religion, etc.) factors influence health, health care delivery and health behaviors."
National Center for Cultural Competence: Tools and Processes for Self-Assessment
Assessing attitudes, practices, structures and policies of programs and their personnel is a necessary, effective and systematic way to plan for and incorporate cultural and linguistic competency within organizations. The NCCC invests a significant proportion of its resources to create tools and processes for self-assessment.