Literacy, health literacy, and cultural competence are 3 levels of competency affecting disparities in health care. One can not be addressed without the other, organizations need to recognize that within their patient population, they may be encountered with either one of these challenges or a combination. Literacy and health literacy could be identified as silence needs or patients, cultural competence may be more of an organization awareness of knowing and understanding the patient's behavior and cultural beliefs. From a patient's perspective, telling organizations about their inability to read and/or write is a sense of shame, humiliation, and loosing face. Therefore, organizations should be able to provide educational materials and organization information in many
different formats (e.g., pictorial, simple language, videos, and verbal). Access to interpreters and cultural brokers is critical for organizations to meet their patients cultural and linguistic needs. Posting availability of services through out the organization will inform patients and make them feel welcome an confident about accessing their health care services. These strategies could help address the PCMH 2011 Standard 1F: Cultural and Linguistic Appropriate Services (CLAS) requirements.
About the author:
Helen Dao, MHA
Dao Consulting Services,Inc.
A Public Health Company
Connecting Providers & Communities
www.daoconsultingservices.com
Phone (201) 448-2046
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