“Any organization addressing individual or community health, health care, or well-being can benefit from the adoption and implementation of the National CLAS Standard.” - HHS OMH, 2013
The SAMHSA Region VIII Office is committed to enhancing the competence and capacity of the behavioral health workforce to advance outreach, engagement, and quality of care for minority and underserved populations. We recommend incorporating the National CLAS Standards in behavioral health education curriculums and continuing education systems as an important step to ensure that behavioral health practitioners are prepared and competent to meet the needs of all patients, families, and communities across Region VIII (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY).
National CLAS Standards in Health and Health Care (undefined), developed by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) in collaboration with SAMHSA and other Federal and community partners, provides meaningful and practical guidance to deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate services, with a goal to improve quality of care and advance health equity.
E-Learning Program to Improving Cultural Competency for Healthcare professionals: Improving availability of such services not only improves quality of care but may reduce disparities experienced by minority and underserved populations, who struggle due to language, literacy, or other cultural barriers (Saha, Beach, and Cooper, 2008).
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Additional Resources:
Charles Smith, PhD (charles.smith@samhsa.hhs.gov) & Amy Hudson, MA (amy.hudson@samhsa.hhs.gov)
Start Date + Time | August 5, 2020 |
End Date + Time | August 5, 2020 |