Saturday, April 22, 2006

OPERATIONALIZING CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES

TIME: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Maxine Fuller, MS
McKinley Group, Inc.
Atlanta, GA

Robert Johnson, MEd
Accreditation NOW
Columbia, MO

Generally, behavioral health professionals agree that cultural competence is a critical factor in providing quality service to ethnically, racially, and culturally diverse patient populations. Providers also know that awareness of diverse groups alone will not facilitate the effective delivery of behavioral health services.

The goal of this one-day workshop is to create an understanding of the impact of cultural competence in effective service delivery, to develop strategic approaches that address diversity throughout the provision of care, and to begin implementing the National Standards for Cultural Competence in Healthcare.

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Develop a framework for discussing and learning about cultural competence
• Discuss the business case for providing culturally competence services
• Address barriers to becoming more culturally competent within service provision
• Use the National Standards for Cultural Competence in Healthcare to assess an organization’s capacity to serve racially and culturally diverse patients
• Discuss tools, strategies, and structures to operationalize cultural competence in behavioral health services
• Draft a strategic plan for diversity and cultural competence that involves all levels of the organization

Supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.