Increasing Cultural Competence to Address Health Disparities

Increasing Cultural Competence to Address Health Disparities

Behavioral health disparities pose a significant threat to the most vulnerable populations in our society. Whether presenting as elevated rates of substance use among American Indian/Alaska Natives, high rates of suicide among LGBT youth, or reduced access to quality health care among people living in rural areas, these disparities threaten the health and wellness of our society as a whole.

To overcome systemic barriers that may contribute to disparities, practitioners must develop and deliver prevention interventions in ways that ensure members of diverse cultural groups benefit from these efforts. To prepare practitioners for this work, this webinar explores the connections between behavioral health disparities and cultural competence and examines strategies, including integration of cultural and linguistically appropriate service (CLAS) standards, that have been shown to be effective in reducing inequities.

Please contact us for more information on scheduling a webinar.

Audience

Substance misuse prevention practitioners and other public health professionals working at the state level and in communities

Length

1.5 hours

Learning Objectives
  • Describe the connections between behavioral health disparities and cultural competence
  • Apply methods for identifying and addressing behavioral health disparities
  • Identify approaches for building community-level readiness and capacity to address behavioral health disparities among identified sub-populations
Training Content
  • Defining Health Disparities and Related Terms
    • What is culture?
    • How do health equality and health equity differ?
    • Principles of cultural competence
  • Integrating Cultural Competence into Prevention Efforts
    • Assessing individual and organizational competence
    • Understanding the cultural competence continuum
    • Enhanced National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services
  • Addressing Health Disparities across SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework
    • Assessment: Working with data to understand your community context
    • Capacity: Building resources, readiness, and capacity to address disparities
    • Planning: Prioritizing risk and protective factors and selecting appropriate interventions
    • Implementation: Infusing cultural competence into service delivery
    • Evaluation: Creating a framework for measuring success
    • Sustainability: The keys to growing and maintaining your impact