Initiative to Address Health Care Disparities and
Cultural & Linguistic Competency

The Community Health Network of Connecticut Foundation (CHNCT Foundation) proposes to provide education and training that increases the capacity of clinical and non-clinical staff of seven federally qualified community health centers in the State of Connecticut to provide health services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate for largely uninsured and underserved African American and Latino patients. The overarching goal of this effort is to reduce disparities in a manner that increases access to prevention-oriented services and early treatment. The key objective is to produce measurable change among clinical and non-clinical in one or more of the components of cultural competence (knowledge and awareness, changes in attitudes, improved skills, and self-efficacy and intention to change practice).

 

The seven community health centers for which this program will be tailored represent the state and federal government’s long-term commitment to the provision of health care and disease and injury prevention for the state’s highest risk populations—African Americans and Latinos who are underserved and uninsured. Each center represents a medically underserved community in which health beliefs and fear of immigration status prevent patients from seeking early treatment and care—more often than not using the emergency rooms of hospitals as primary care. These seven centers have long sought effective training and technical assistance to demonstrate the importance of understanding cultural barriers to health care. This project could bridge the gap for shared knowledge and best practices for patients who have long failed to access effective services outside of emergency room treatment.

 

The CLAS Standards as issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health.