3144.0: Monday, October 22, 2001: 2:30 PM-4:00 PM

Panel Discussion Session

Building the Science in Support of Culturally Competent Practice

Initial results from Census 2000 show that close to 1/3 of the U.S. population is currently comprised of racial and ethnic minorities and, at the current rate of growth, non-whites will equal white populations within the next few decades. Such increasing diversity poses a tremendous challenge to the health care industry and policy-makers as they work to ensure accessible, high-quality, and culturally competent health services for all patients. However, even as the need for more culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) grows, so do questions about the lack of a common definition and framework for CLAS, lack of evidence linking CLAS to health outcomes, and lack of studies regarding cost impacts and cost-effectiveness of providing CLAS in health care. This session, then, will highlight the results of work undertaken by the US Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS) to establish a research agenda for cultural competence in health care based on definitions and a set of recommended standards for CLAS developed under the auspices of HHS's Office of Minority Health. Legal, quality assurance, and health plan perspectives will also be presented, including recommendations for the kinds of research and scientific evidence that are needed to make the case for cultural competence in health care. Examples of the kinds of research currently underway to inform decisions regarding the provision of CLAS will also be provided.
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement.
Learning Objectives: 1. Define cultural competence and identify the major components of culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) in health care. 2. Describe the nature and extent of the scientific evidence linking CLAS to health impacts and outcomes. 3. Outline the major factors that promote and hinder the provision of CLAS in health care and other arenas. 4. Identify several studies currently or soon-to-be in the literature supporting the provision of CLAS in health care. 5. Describe the kinds of studies that public health researchers and practitioners need to undertake to inform the "business case" for cultural competence in health care.
Presider(s):Valerie Welsh
Organizer(s):Valerie A. Welsh
2:30 PMDeveloping a research agenda for cultural competence in health care
Julia Puebla Fortier
2:45 PMPromoting and protecting the civil rights of limited-English proficient populations
Thomas E. Perez, JD, MPP
3:00 PMCultural competence: A researcher's view of current and future research needs
Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH
3:15 PMPromoting cultural competence in health care through quality assurance strategies
TBA to be announced
Sponsor:Public Health Education and Health Promotion
Cosponsors:Public Health Nursing; School Health Education and Services; Socialist Caucus
CE Credits:CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work

The 129th Annual Meeting of APHA