307864
Serving the Underserved: Providing Effective AOD Services to Culturally Diverse Populations
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Methodology: Twenty-five focus groups were convened, involving 268 consumers of AOD services. Based on knowledge of historically underserved populations, these groups included representative samples of API, LGBTQ, Latinos, African-Americans and Native-Americans, as well as women and youth consumers. Prevention, treatment, and recovery services were represented, and all groups were recorded and transcribed.
Results: Transcripts revealed that most participants had difficulty accessing culturally responsive AOD services, and that participation in culturally unresponsive services was often unsuccessful. However, cultural groups defined barriers to service in distinct ways. Cultural differences in understandings of addiction, as well as family, religious, and linguistic norms, determined the needs of different cultural communities. Many AOD service consumers encountered hostility, racism, or homophobia from service providers.
Conclusions: Public health strategies must support the capacity of the AOD field to deliver culturally informed and responsive services. This includes community needs assessment; targeted outreach and community engagement; education about diverse perspectives on health; and the development and implementation of culturally appropriate interventions. The AOD specific CLAS standards developed for this project could be used to build this capacity.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programsAssessment of individual and community needs for health education
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Learning Objectives:
Explain how cultural differences affect substance use trajectories, program utilization, and success
Describe key elements of culturally responsive AOD services for seven historically underserved populations
Keyword(s): Cultural Competency, Drug Abuse
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the lead researcher and evaluator on a state-funded initiative to increase the capacity of the alcohol and other drug field to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services since the project's inception in 2011. My research interests include the relationship between gender and drug treatment strategies, disparities in access to mental health services, and the social determinants of health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.