Overview
New Jersey is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse states in the nation. More than 37.2 percent of the state’s population is Black, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American or Alaskan Native. More than 20% of New Jersey residents are foreign born. Also, nearley 2.5 million speak a language other than English at home.
This rich diversity presents a challenge to health professionals. Diverse populations bring different attitudes, expectations, beliefs and communication styles to each health encounter. Health professionals must be sensitive to these complex issues if they are to be successful.
Culturally competent health workers not only respect cultural differences, they incorporate them into the entire patient care or program planning process. In the health care setting, this can require organizational change as well as more skilled one-on-one patient interactions.
The public health community is also working to better understand the social and cultural gap between practitioners and the communities they seek to serve, and to find effective ways to bridge that gap.
The result in both cases can be better patient care, more effective public health interventions and, ultimately, better health in our communities.
The Class Standards
The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (CLAS)
Resources/Links
Below are links to cultural competency and language resources on the web.
- Administration for Children and Families "The Guide to Resources and Funding for Community and Faith-based Organizations"
- The Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders Diabetes Coalition
http://ncapip.org/conference2012.html
http://www.aaahs.org/
- In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, FEMA is working hard to ensure that disaster recovery information is available to all who need it, regardless of their language proficiency. A FEMA public service announcement, available in ten languages, can be accessed at the following links:
FEMA’s "Help After Disaster Guide" is also available in 19 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Italian, Korean, Russian and Spanish. See http://www.fema.gov/help-after-disaster.
- Aging and Disability Resource Connection
Here you can find programs and services located in the communities where seniors and adults with disabilities live.
- New Jersey Department of Health
Translated Health Forms
Translated into three languages: Haitian Creole, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.
- New Jersey Hospital Association
"Effective Communication in Healthcare: Interpreter/Translation Services for Limited English Proficiency Populations in New Jersey"
- New Jersey Judiciary
Interpretation/Translation Agencies for on Site Interpreting Services
- NJ Statewide Network for Cultural Competence
- Racial Equity Tools
Racial Equity Tools is a web site designed to support people and groups who are working for inclusion, racial equity and social justice. The site includes ideas, strategies and tips, as well as a clearinghouse of resources and links from many sources. Racial Equity Tools is a companion site to Evaluation Tools for Racial Equity - which helps people track progress and document results of similar work, in racially explicit and competent ways.
- University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities
- University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Institute for Nutrition Interventions
Food and Nutrition Across Different Cultures
- University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Center for Healthy Families and Cultural Diversity
- Unnatural Causes
National
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ),
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
Ethnomed
The EthnoMed site contains information about cultural beliefs, medical issues and related topics pertinent to the health care of immigrants and refugee groups.
Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development
Cultural & Linguistic Competence
Health Resources and Services Administration:
Intercultural Cancer Council
Cultural Competence in Cancer Care: A Health Care Professional’s Passport
Management Sciences for Health. The Provider's Guide to Quality and Culture
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Library
National Center for Cultural Competence at Georgetown University
New Jersey's First Statewide Health Literacy Summit
Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Language Assistance to Persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP)
Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
Pamphlet
Books and Reports
The Health of the Newest New Jerseyans: A Resource Guide [pdf 4.2mb]
This report informs health care providers statewide on the health status and behaviors of New Jerseys' quickly growing foreign-born population. The report provides demographic information and geographic trends related to this population; compares select health outcomes and behaviors of state residents by race/ethnicity and nativity status; a
Cultural Competence for the Health Workforce
Curriculum for Culturally Responsive Health Care
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