Ryan White Part A providers in culturally diverse communities often pride themselves on their ability to bring culturally competent care to their HIV clients. Yet, when it comes to measuring and improving proficiency levels and meeting cultural competency standards, they often find the task complex and challenging. A Cultural Competency Task Force initiated by the Planning Council of the Bergen-Passaic TGA led to a comprehensive improvement plan for operationalizing cultural competency at multiple organizational levels, from management to direct provider to the client. This workshop will help participants identify policy, operational, and collaborative steps to create a true “culture of competency” in the provision of care and services for persons with HIV/AIDS.
Learning Objectives:
- This workshop will allow participants to gain a deeper understanding of cultural competency standards and challenges in achieving them through an overview of various cultural competency model(s) and standards
- Identification of common challenges and experiences of policy makers, managers, direct-line staff, and clients
- Participants will learn how to assess cultural competencies and proficiencies of non-profit agencies, including key characteristics or factors to be evaluated at each level of the organization, and will gain an understanding of cultural competence as a continuous process, not an event. Our message: Wherever you are, that is where you start. The problem is not where you are starting but whether or not you start
- Participants will learn how to initiate and complete a collaborative strategic planning process to raise cultural competencies beyond the basics, including • Transforming your assessment into measurable goals, objectives, and actions; • Using the organizational chart as a reference for determining who will address the policies, procedures, community, client, and continuous quality improvement; and • Integrating client, community, and key stakeholder input throughout the process
