Bureau of Health Professions
Division of Scholarships and
Loan Repayment
Dental Initiative
Topic of Interest #1
The elimination of health disparities is a key public policy focus
of Healthy People 2010, the set of goals and objectives designed
by the Department of Health and Human Services to assist the nation
achieve the vision of Healthy People in Healthy Communities. The
Health Resources and Services Administration's Bureau of Primary
Health Care (BPHC) continues to demonstrate leadership and innovation
in efforts to eliminate health disparities. The BPHC is a national
leader in delivering health care to underserved populations. Guided
by a vision that everyone in the United States should have access
to health care, the BPHC launched the "One Hundred Percent Access
and Zero Health Disparities" Campaign. The National Center for
Cultural Competence is supporting the BPHC's Division of Scholarship
and Loan Repayment (DSLR) to achieve this vision by promoting the
systematic incorporation of culturally competent values, policy,
structures and practices within Educational Partnership Agreement
(EPA) Programs.
Rationale for Cultural Competence
in Health Care
- Respond to current and projected demographic changes
- Eliminate long-standing health disparities (racial
and ethnic disparities data on oral health)
- Improve quality of services and health outcomes
- Meet legislative, regulatory and accreditation mandates
- Gain a competitive edge in the market place
- Decrease risk of liability/malpractice
For more detailed information on the rationale for cultural competence
in primary care, see Policy
Brief 1.
Higher education and health professional education programs
need to consider the impact of the following issues as it relates
to providing culturally competent services to underserved communities:
- Historical issues in the way services have been provided
to underserved communities
- the increasing need for student and work force diversity;
- lack of faculty awareness and knowledge of cultural competence;
and
- content related to cultural and linguistic competence is
not consistently in curricula and teaching modalities
Promoting and Supporting EPA Programs to Incorporate Cultural
and Linguistic Competence
Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA) Programs should consider
addressing the following areas as they build their capacity to
respond effectively to the needs of individuals and families from
racially, ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse groups.
Faculty Development
Offer professional development, training and mentoring opportunities
for faculty. This can include but is not limited to integrating
culturally competent principles and practices in pre-service
education and training, service learning, problem-based learning,
and continuing education.
Recruitment and Retention
Due to the current and emerging demographic trends, EPA programs
have to place emphasis on recruiting and retaining culturally
diverse faculty, staff and students that reflect the populations
that are being served.
Curricula Development
EPA programs should assess the extent to which content related
to cultural and linguistic competence is reflected in current
curricula. Adapt and modify curricula accordingly.
Advisement/Mentoring
EPA programs should ensure that advisors and mentors are knowledgeable
about the beliefs, values, traditions and practices of the
diverse cultural groups being served.
Creating and Maintaining Non-traditional Partnerships
EPA programs must develop the capacity to engage diverse constituencies
at multiple levels within any given community to influence
services that lead to a greater sense of satisfaction for communities
and improved health outcomes.
Building a Research Agenda
Eliminating health disparities call for a new research agenda
developed in collaboration with diverse racial and ethnic communities.
This requires a fundamental change in how research is designed,
conducted and disseminated and must validate the efficacy of
culturally competent health education practices. For further
information on Partnerships for a Research Agenda, see Policy
Brief 3.
Racial
and Ethnic Disparities Data on Oral Health
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