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Cultural Competence in Health CareTrust is an important part of every healthcare relationship. For trust to develop, each person in the relationship needs to understand what is expected of the others. When participants have dissimilar backgrounds and life experiences, expectations may differ, and roadblocks may develop that impede the formation of a trusting relationship. Becoming culturally competent allows healthcare providers to work effectively with those whose beliefs and values differ from their own. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health <www.omhrc.gov> “cultural and linguistic competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations.” To help increase the understanding and practice of culturally competent care, the Health Resources and Services Administration developed a Web site entitled Cultural Competence Resources for Health Care Providers <www.hrsa.gov/culturalcompetence>. The resources include assessment tools, technical assistance, and training curricula. The culture/language specific and disease/condition specific resources cover topics such as, HIV/AIDS and various special populations (i.e., African Americans; American Indian / Alaskan native / native Hawaiians; Hispanic/Latino/ Spanish; and gay/lesbian/bisexual/ transgender), health issues of farm and migrant workers, USA Mexico border populations, homeless people, children with special needs, and geriatric populations. Also listed on the site are links to opportunities for grant funding, data and statistics. --Linda Hartman |
