Medical Assistants: Addressing Language and Culture in Health Care Practices
This two-part instructional video, sponsored by the CAFP and CAFP
Foundation, provides emphasis on accommodating differences and working together
through language access and cultural proficiency in providing quality health
care.
Addressing Language in Your Practice: Practical Approaches and Resources
Communication is the absolute heart of medical practice. Studies show that more than 70% of the information on which providers base a diagnosis comes from the history and physical exam. Anything that compromises the quality of communication between patients and providers represents a threat to the quality of care provided. As the nation's population becomes ever more diverse, language access — the effective use of interpreter and translator services — must be addressed. This CME video explains best practices.
Interpreter Services Available from Medi-Cal Managed Care and Healthy Families Plans
This guide, available in several languages, helps Limited English speakers enrolled in the Medi-Cal Managed Care or Healthy Families plans navigate the health system to access care in their own languages. Interpreting services are free; this guide provides contact numbers and information for various health plans. Useful for medical offices and patients alike.
Language Access Solutions for OB/GYN Medical Practices
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, District IX California
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (District IX, California) explored approaches used by its physician members to communicate with patients without English language proficiency. From that project emerged practice and policy recommendations to promote use of language access practices that ensure accurate interpretation, confidentiality and adherence to medical ethics standards, while discouraging use of inappropriate methods.
California Speaks: Language Diversity and English Proficiency by Legislative District
This report identifies the numerous languages (other than English) spoken at home by nearly 40 percent of Californians and notes the number of people speaking these languages in each Assembly and Senate district. It’s helpful in providing an analysis of language-access needs in specific geographic areas.
Improving Patient-Provider Communication
Video Resources about federal laws and Joint Commission standards regarding deaf or hard of hearing patients, as well as those patients whose English proficiency is limited
Hospitals, Language and Culture
Update from The Joint Commission and The California Endowment's research project on cultural and linguistic competency in hospitals
Cultural Proficiency
Childhood in Translation: A Documentary About Overcoming Language Barriers Childhood in Translation is a unique documentary project from filmmaker Robert C. Winn that illustrates the risks that language barriers pose to the health and well-being of recent immigrants and their children. Through the multiple perspectives of immigrants, medical and service providers, and advocates, this documentary reveals the crossed signals that must be negotiated in an increasingly diverse America. The DVD modules focus on youth and families, health care professionals, and social service agency providers. To order a single copy of the DVD free of charge, contact languageportal@migrationpolicy.org or visit the Migration Policy Institute's Web site. To order multiple copies, contact R. Winn at ChildhoodinTranslation@gmail.com.
Building Culturally Competent Health Systems in California
In March 2007, The California Endowment hosted a convening, "Building Culturally Competent Health Systems in California," held in Los Angeles. This document provides a summary of the convening's proceedings, sessions and panel discussions.
Nurses, Culture and Cancer
Article and resources developed to help health care professionals conduct cancer screenings and provide care to diverse populations
Immigrant Health
A podcast about immigrant health from the University of Albany School of Public Health
Health Disparities
UCSF Survey Data on Organizations' Needs for Improving Health Equity
The ACTION program at the Center for the Health Professions, University of California, San Francisco, is developing a comprehensive resource for practical ways to improve health equity (e.g., access and quality of care). To help inform this effort, an online survey invitation was distributed in early 2009. Key findings, which include a need for more ‘how to’ materials and additional funding, are reported here.
Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data: Standardization for Health Care Quality Improvement
An Institute of Medicine subcommittee has recommended collection of more granular data using national standards. "The presence of data on race, ethnicity, and lan guage does not, in and of itself, guarantee subsequent actions in terms of analysis of quality-of-care data to identify health care needs or actions to reduce or eliminate disparities that are found....The absence of data, however, essentially guarantees that none of those actions will occur."
Voices of the Providers and Patients
Several free, downloadable videos produced to help reduce health disparities in Asian American and Pacific Islander populations (by HRSA/Office of Minority Health & Bureau of Primary Health Care).
The California Endowment funds and publishes a wide range of research, reports, and other documents to assist physicians and other health care providers in providing language access and culturally proficient health care services. Users can download materials from the Web site and also can order paper copies. To access this online collection, go to www.CalEndow.org and click on Publications/Program Areas/Culturally Competent Healthcare Systems. Below is a sample of the kinds of resources available there.
Minority Doctors Underrepresented in California
A study by Kevin Grumbach, MD using Medical Board of California data examines in detail the lack of diversity among physicians in California.
Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions
This 2004 report by the Sullivan Commission was one of the early calls for increasing health care workforce diversity and many of its recommended solutions are still relevant and still not accomplished.
Office of Diversity Web Site for USC Keck School of Medicine
This Web site provides information about the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine’s Office of Diversity. The school’s goal is to recruit, retain and increase the number of under-represented minority medical students and to provide support and information to medical, high school and undergraduate students.
UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program: Helping Disadvantaged Students Achieve Their Potential
The Doctors Academy is a program of the Latino Center for Medical Education and Research at the University of California-Fresno Medical Education Program. Representatives work with public schools to recruit, mentor and tutor disadvantaged students to help them achieve their potential in an attempt to solve the serious shortage of Latino physicians and other health care professionals in Fresno County.
Increasing Workforce Diversity:
The Decision Medicine Program
Speakers in this excerpt from a longer video about the Medical Leadership Council's work explain how an innovative program for high school students has helped them believe that careers in medicine could be possible.
Medi-Cal Language Access Services (MCLAS) Taskforce Report 
