Oral

This workshop will focus on public health policy on the workforce and the impact of cultural competence, health disparities and workforce certifications. Discussions will focus on cultural and linguistic competency and the impact of training, program development and implementation on the elimination of health disparities. Further discussions will examine the extent to which health status and work loss days due to illness or injury differ by race/ethnicity in the health workforce. The third speaker will provide information on educational resources and information on interactive technology for rural communities and urban communities. Finally, the last presentation will discuss the development of credentialing for the public health workforce using the public health nursing workforce as a model.

Session Objectives: Participants should be able to: Discuss the problems associated with implementing cultural and linguistic competency in a health care system. Identify and analyze health disparities among health care workers. Describe the range and value of technology in implementing a statewide experiential program. Identify factors that have influenced credential status among nurses in the public health workforce.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing