Culturally competent care is a life-long learning journey.
It is developed through consistent encounters with patients. Building a good rapport with patients can help them understand their health care needs, and have happier, heathier outcomes. Cultural competence is an ongoing learning process, that includes skills, values and principles that acknowledge, respect, and contribute to effective interactions between individuals and the cultural groups you come in contact with.
Highmark Health Options has assembled a list of resources and web-based tools that are intended to help build sensitivity to the cultural and linguistic differences, and to foster improved understanding and communication.
If you or your staff would like to better understand how cultural issues can affect health care and health care outcomes, use this guide as a starting point. We've done the research for you and have a wealth of information that will help you gain a better understanding of cultural competency and health equity.