Health Education Program Analysis

Cultural competency aids in closing the “disparities gap” in health care. ("OMH," 2012, para. 2) In doing so, health professionals and their clients are better able to discuss concerns without cultural differences getting in the way of effective communication and problem solving. Being respectful of and sensitive to the client’s health beliefs, culture, values, and diverse needs can bring positive outcomes within treatment and patient care. After all, is it not the main job of the health care provider to ensure patient trust? Open forms of communication when dealing with client issues can only be provided if the patient is comfortable with his provider and believes his

I am a Brazilian black male with military experience and diplomatic knowledge who grew up in a low-income household in a developing country. In addition, I have traveled to about 35 countries and am acquainted with people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, ethnic groups and nationalities. These characteristics and experiences allow me to see the world from perspectives that are unusual for most people. Besides being open-minded and non- judgemental toward all my future patients, I personally understand the difficulties faced by people of color, immigrants and individuals from low-income families. In sum, my background and my cultural literacy will allow me to be a sensitive and culturally aware patient-centered care.

I have learned that it is important that educators  and health providers be trained on cultural competency to understand the population they are serving. Marks, Sims, and Osher (King, Sims, & Osher, n.d.) define cultural competency  as a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enables that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross–cultural situations" ( as cited in Cross et al., 1989; Isaacs & Benjamin, 1991). Health providers and educators should investigate demographic patterns or trends in the place where they live and work. This brings awareness of the types of cultures that they might come across when they are working with people. Organizations should integrate and implement policies that promote the value of  diversity, self-assessment, manage the dynamics of difference, acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge, and adapt to diversity and the cultural contexts of communities they serve (Georgetown  University, 2004). Georgetown University (2004) also stresses that culture competency grows gradually and is always open for improvement.

Cultural competence in health care describes the ability to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs and behaviors, including tailoring health care delivery to meet patients’ social, cultural and linguistic needs. The need for healthcare systems to increase cultural competence and personalize care for ethnic patient minorities should not be ignored. Healthcare systems should promote better understanding and communication between diverse ethnic patients and caregivers. Hospitals should design a system that caters to the needs of all the populations they serve and not just apply a one-size-fits-all approach. Becoming a culturally competent health care organization is a critical component in reducing health care disparities.

In this great nation we live in today that has been vastly increasing diversity bring so many great opportunities. But with these great opportunities there are also challenges that are continually looked over constantly. One of the challenges is our health care system that fails to deliver culturally competent services. Cultural competency helps to enable providers to deliver services that are respectful to diverse patients. This helps with patients own health beliefs, practices and cultural and linguistic needs. This is why this training is needed in every health facility. Many doctors go through this problem not understanding their patient’s needs. If I were a doctor I would use this skill. Certain racial and ethnic minorities receive poorer

To begin, I learned so much about the Hmong culture, I feel embarrassed how little I knew about them, and what they went through; I have so much more appreciation for them. Coming from a future nurse, I am well aware of the topic “culturally competent”. However, after reading this book I realized how important it actually is to be aware, knowledgeable, and sensitive to those of different cultures. The patient and the patient’s family should be center of the care, with the health care providers having assessed he patient’s needs and wishes. I strong feel that everyone entering the health care field should be formally trained on what it actually means to be culturally competent. If the I health care providers in this book would have been more

African American communities have proven to be a powerful force when banded together in a common goal to prosper in a world where they have not always been accepted. These communities are characterized as being formidable, inspirational, resilient, independent and made to endure the impossible. However, these same communities have experienced extreme difficulties, challenges and hardships, including the critical yet silent battle with mental health. Culturally, African American families tend to underestimate mental illnesses instead of consulting professional services. Socially, there is a score of stigmas and negative attitudes towards mental illnesses amongst the Black community. Economically, the African American communities that are

Health care providers must keep the basic concepts of treating all of their patients with respect, compassion, and honesty no matter what the culture they may have. If the caregiver has a enhanced understanding of the persons cultural beliefs

Unfortunately, the lack of culturally competent healthcare providers such as nurses, leads to negative patient outcomes and low quality healthcare. Culturally competent nurses are required to adequately treat our culturally diverse population. Nurses are frontline patient advocates and education and training in cultural competence is an intervention that will implement positive changes in healthcare delivery in the U.S.

Health Care System and Organization, it’s very important in the health organizations become culturally competent in many ways, such as Evidence Based Practice (EBP) which means using a clear care plan that are carefully designed for the patients, and are evidence based sources of research and clinical results, and patient preferences that are comforting the patient feels and creating connections, and trusting more about their health care provers, this reduces the personal practice of this how I do gap, because patients and providers are not same beliefs most of the time, so providers need to be open to new cultural encounters, and to practice culturally based health

Mental wellness is a topic often overlooked in American society and typically never even brought up in the African American community . This is a problem of great importance to me because I battle with mental illness myself and there is no reason that in the 21st century, mental illness is still being treated as taboo.

My experience interacting with minorities and medically underserved individuals has taught me cultural competence by gradually learning the capacity to understand other people’s experiences and sufferings in a way I never had before. By working in family and free health clinics, and volunteering as an EMT and a hospice aide, I have personally seen some of the health disparities found in our world. I have witnessed how a lack of insurance, monetary income, or health education affects one’s decision to attain primary health care. Furthermore, my experiences with emergency medicine teams serving culturally diverse communities have helped me to be able to see how healthcare professionals handle crises while not losing the ability to think logically and rationally when striving to treat people’s illnesses, instead of focusing on their

Respect, effective communication, empathy, and morality are the cornerstones of cultural competency. Healthcare professionals are advocates for patients and learning the beliefs, behaviors, and being sensitive to other’s way of life is critical in patient care. Obstacles for culturally competent care include xenophobia, prejudice, bigotry, stereotyping, as well as an aversion or misunderstanding of western medicine within the US healthcare system due to an unfamiliarity or a lack of knowledge of practices. It is imperative that one puts their own judgements and assumptions aside, a positive rapport is built, and effective communication is always achieved when caring for patients to ensure the best possible care is given. It is a healthcare

It is through the field of psychology that I have become concerned about the societal issues that surround the African American community. Psychology has intrigued me extraordinarily that it has become one of my many objectives to dismiss the stigmatization of mental health within the African American community. It Is my objective to develop approaches for those who are affected by mental health to find it easier to stand up and speak out about their mental health concerns. With this, it will be less of a struggle for them to receive the psychological assistance they may need. Furthermore, it is my objective to advance social change within the communities of ethnic

Most of the participants noted lack of culturally competent physicians/nurses that can connect with the parents and address