Roundtable Promotes Cultural Competence
At one of our recent Provider Roundtables, Miriam Delphin, PhD, from Yale University presented “A Multilevel Strategy for Promoting and Sustaining Systemic Cultural Competence.” Dr. Delphin shared results from a number of published reports that indicate that ethnic and racial minorities:
- Have less access to, and availability of, behavioral health services
- Are less likely to receive needed behavioral health services
- Receive reduced quality behavioral health care
- Experience a greater burden of disability.
“In order to reduce health disparity and promote cultural competence across all our member populations, the Magellan Iowa Care Management Center has developed a cultural competency plan, including a mission statement, guiding principles, goals and action steps,” remarked Chris Sims, director of quality compliance. “Throughout the next year, we will provide you with updates as our plan progresses. We also want to encourage providers to develop their own cultural competency plans.”
Cultural competence is a set of knowledge, skills, attitudes, policies, practices and methods that enable care providers and programs to work effectively with culturally diverse members, families and communities. Culturally competent behavioral health care providers have, at a minimum, linguistic competence, as well as some knowledge about the culture and ethnicity. They also should have the knowledge and skills to use assessment and treatment methods that are appropriate for multicultural members.
Iowa Plan Cultural Competency Mission Statement:
To develop awareness of and respect for the diverse backgrounds of people.
Iowa Plan Cultural Competency Goals:
- Define our mission statement and goals
- Provide internal training and communication strategies
- Provide external education and training to providers and members
- Increase cultural competency awareness of staff and providers in all areas of the clinical process
- Identify processes to monitor, measure and improve outcomes.
For more information about cultural competency, see the tools available on this website, www.MagellanHealth.com/provider, under the top-menu item “Education.”