Second National Conference on
Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations:
Strategy and Action for Communities, Providers, and a Changing Health System

V-B: Advocacy And Policy Development For Assuring Cultural Competence In Health Care, Part II

There have been efforts on the state and local level to promote language access for the LEP population. According to estimates of the 2000 census, California is now a majority minority state and one of the most diverse states in the country. Using three California case studies, this session will explore state and local advocacy strategies, including drafting legislation, using state government agencies and community based efforts to obtain interpreter services for LEP individuals, promoting cultural and linguistic competency standards for providers, monitoring and evaluating standards in managed care organizations managed care, including collection of data, and incorporating cultural competency into quality of care measurements of health care facilities.

In order to develop an effective strategy to increase access for LEP clients, there may be several difficulties to overcome, such as educating LEP individuals of their right for language assistance, convincing health care facilities that they are not addressing their LEP patients and finding ways to provide needed language assistance for LEP persons. Data collection regarding the needs of the LEP population is limited, which has made assessment of the language and cultural needs of the patient population challenging. Barriers such as costs for providing interpreters, translation of materials, and training of staff and interpreters, as well as evaluating the competency of interpreters and translated materials need to be addressed.

However, advocates have successfully improved access to health care services or their clients through a combination of many of the tools discussed. Participants will have an opportunity to use these strategies in small group exercises and to develop skills such as working with hospital administrators to create an effective language assistance program, drafting sample complaint letters to hospital administrators, preparing for a meeting with administrators, and negotiating components of a language assistance policy.

Same faculty as morning session, V-A. Please refer to information above.

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