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CULTURAL COMPETENCY AND DIVERSITY PLAN
INTRODUCTION:
Comprehensive Health Systems, Inc. (CHS) recognizes the importance of embracing the cultural competency, diversity, and inclusion in its business operations. This not only includes the provision of services to the persons served, but also the personnel and other stakeholders. CHS is aware that an organization that lacks cultural competency can directly contribute to poor consumer outcomes, reduced consumer compliance, and increased health disparities, regardless of the quality of services provided. CHS also recognizes a culturally competent environment enables personnel to work more effectively by understanding, appreciating, and respecting differences and similarities between cultures. In addition to improving quality of care, such culturally competent environments can lead to increased job satisfaction and staff retention.
DEFINITION:
Culture can be defined as the integrated patterns of human behavior that include thoughts, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of a specific race, ethnic, religious, social or other group.Cultural competency can be defined as an organization’s ability to recognize, respect, and address the diversity among its persons served, personnel, and other stakeholders needs, actions, beliefs, customs, values and other individualisms that reflect their identified races, culture, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, social group, or national origins. Cultural competency is developmental, specific to persons and families served, and inclusive of the community in which they live. It is also the development and continued promotion of skills and practices important in clinical practice, multicultural interactions, and systems practices among providers and staff to ensure that services are delivered in a cultural and competent manner. DIVERSITY IN PERSONNEL:
CHS is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants within the labor force receive consideration for employment without regard to race, spiritual beliefs, culture, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability status, or language. This applies to all personnel policies and practices, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, assignment of work, compensation, benefits, and transfer; as well as, social and recreational programs sponsored by the agency. The agency will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities; unless doing so would result in an undue hardship for the agency. Each ad that CHS places indicates the statement that CHS is an equal opportunity employer. DIVERSITY IN PERSONS SERVED:
CHS welcomes and actively values the diversity of persons served. We aim to provide culturally diverse and inclusionary services to consumers across the service areas. In order to accomplish this, CHS ensures consumers have the right to not be denied admission to, participation in, or receipt of services and benefits because of race, culture, gender identity or expression, sex, sexual orientation, spiritual beliefs, socioeconomic status, language, national origin, disability status, or age.
DIVERSITY IN OTHER STAKEHOLDERS:
CHS welcomes input from stakeholders in all areas that are provided. CHS seeks input from interested parties so that voices from a diverse group of people can be heard and CHS is more aware of cultural differences among those we serve. This is accomplished by soliciting feedback through stakeholder satisfaction surveys, and suggestion/complaint forms.
Comprehensive Health Systems, Inc. (CHS) recognizes the importance of embracing the cultural competency, diversity, and inclusion in its business operations. This not only includes the provision of services to the persons served, but also the personnel and other stakeholders. CHS is aware that an organization that lacks cultural competency can directly contribute to poor consumer outcomes, reduced consumer compliance, and increased health disparities, regardless of the quality of services provided. CHS also recognizes a culturally competent environment enables personnel to work more effectively by understanding, appreciating, and respecting differences and similarities between cultures. In addition to improving quality of care, such culturally competent environments can lead to increased job satisfaction and staff retention.
DEFINITION:
Culture can be defined as the integrated patterns of human behavior that include thoughts, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of a specific race, ethnic, religious, social or other group.Cultural competency can be defined as an organization’s ability to recognize, respect, and address the diversity among its persons served, personnel, and other stakeholders needs, actions, beliefs, customs, values and other individualisms that reflect their identified races, culture, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, social group, or national origins. Cultural competency is developmental, specific to persons and families served, and inclusive of the community in which they live. It is also the development and continued promotion of skills and practices important in clinical practice, multicultural interactions, and systems practices among providers and staff to ensure that services are delivered in a cultural and competent manner. DIVERSITY IN PERSONNEL:
CHS is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants within the labor force receive consideration for employment without regard to race, spiritual beliefs, culture, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, disability status, or language. This applies to all personnel policies and practices, including recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, assignment of work, compensation, benefits, and transfer; as well as, social and recreational programs sponsored by the agency. The agency will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities; unless doing so would result in an undue hardship for the agency. Each ad that CHS places indicates the statement that CHS is an equal opportunity employer. DIVERSITY IN PERSONS SERVED:
CHS welcomes and actively values the diversity of persons served. We aim to provide culturally diverse and inclusionary services to consumers across the service areas. In order to accomplish this, CHS ensures consumers have the right to not be denied admission to, participation in, or receipt of services and benefits because of race, culture, gender identity or expression, sex, sexual orientation, spiritual beliefs, socioeconomic status, language, national origin, disability status, or age.
DIVERSITY IN OTHER STAKEHOLDERS:
CHS welcomes input from stakeholders in all areas that are provided. CHS seeks input from interested parties so that voices from a diverse group of people can be heard and CHS is more aware of cultural differences among those we serve. This is accomplished by soliciting feedback through stakeholder satisfaction surveys, and suggestion/complaint forms.
IMPROVEMENT PLAN:
ACTIVTIES ADDRESSING CULTURAL DIVERSITY:
CHS will make every effort to implement Culturally Diverse activities, which may include:
• Implementing objectives to ensure that governance, administrative policies, and practices are representative of the people we serve.• Ensuring that linguistic/translator services are available to all consumers as needed to promote the accessibility of services to individuals who speak a language other than English or are deaf/hard of hearing. This can be accomplished by utilizing resources made available by the Department of Mental Health. When appropriate, consumer materials, such as handbooks, client rights, and other pertinent treatment documents may be translated into their language.• Providing specialized programming to address specific needs related to race, gender, age, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, spiritual beliefs, socio-economic status, or other relevant factors as appropriate and based on consumer interest. Additionally, services will be provided to veterans and individuals involved in the criminal justice system. a paragraph. • Discussing the importance of cultural awareness and competency with new hires, staff, interns and volunteers. Ensure that staff participates in regular, in-service culturalcompetency training through Essential Learning courses or other venues. Cultural diversity training is a required training for all staff at orientation and on a regularly scheduled basis. This training will promote staff members to empower each person served to actively participate as a part of the treatment team, to promote recovery, progress, and improved well-being. • Managers will assure that ongoing and open discussions regarding cultural competency and diversity occur between their employees, which will be documented in staff meeting minutes and/or supervision notes.• Identifying resources in the Hannibal and Fulton communities that provide information on cultural events and observances that can be incorporated into the programs' scheduled activities. Staff will also participate in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of multicultural celebrations and faith-based activities.
CHS will make every effort to implement Culturally Diverse activities, which may include:
• Implementing objectives to ensure that governance, administrative policies, and practices are representative of the people we serve.• Ensuring that linguistic/translator services are available to all consumers as needed to promote the accessibility of services to individuals who speak a language other than English or are deaf/hard of hearing. This can be accomplished by utilizing resources made available by the Department of Mental Health. When appropriate, consumer materials, such as handbooks, client rights, and other pertinent treatment documents may be translated into their language.• Providing specialized programming to address specific needs related to race, gender, age, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, spiritual beliefs, socio-economic status, or other relevant factors as appropriate and based on consumer interest. Additionally, services will be provided to veterans and individuals involved in the criminal justice system. a paragraph. • Discussing the importance of cultural awareness and competency with new hires, staff, interns and volunteers. Ensure that staff participates in regular, in-service culturalcompetency training through Essential Learning courses or other venues. Cultural diversity training is a required training for all staff at orientation and on a regularly scheduled basis. This training will promote staff members to empower each person served to actively participate as a part of the treatment team, to promote recovery, progress, and improved well-being. • Managers will assure that ongoing and open discussions regarding cultural competency and diversity occur between their employees, which will be documented in staff meeting minutes and/or supervision notes.• Identifying resources in the Hannibal and Fulton communities that provide information on cultural events and observances that can be incorporated into the programs' scheduled activities. Staff will also participate in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of multicultural celebrations and faith-based activities.
OVERSITE, REVIEW, AND UPDATES:
The plan will be monitored through the Quality Assurance Committee to ensure that the organization, actively seeks opportunities to recognize cultural competency improvements. This will be accomplished by soliciting feedback through consumer satisfaction surveys, suggestion/complaint forms and staff and consumer focus groups and interviews. This will be completed on an annual basis and updated as needed. Staff will immediately follow up with any concerns or problems identified. In the event policies or processes need to be modified based on trends identified, the Quality Assurance Committee will make recommendations to make modifications.
SUMMARY:
Comprehensive Health Systems, Inc. recognizes that cultural competency plays a vital role in reaching our goal of supporting consumer recovery and resilience in ways that are meaningful for individuals in their communities and relevant to their uniquely diverse experiences. Our role as an organization is to give our personnel and providers the key skills, they need to support each person served in their individualized recovery and to engage and support consumers in a way that is culturally, diversly, and linguistically appropriate. CHS will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of cultural differences and will provide an environment that is inclusive of all people regardless of their culture, age, gender, sexual orientation spiritual beliefs, socioeconomic status, language, race or other factors as relevant.
The plan will be monitored through the Quality Assurance Committee to ensure that the organization, actively seeks opportunities to recognize cultural competency improvements. This will be accomplished by soliciting feedback through consumer satisfaction surveys, suggestion/complaint forms and staff and consumer focus groups and interviews. This will be completed on an annual basis and updated as needed. Staff will immediately follow up with any concerns or problems identified. In the event policies or processes need to be modified based on trends identified, the Quality Assurance Committee will make recommendations to make modifications.
SUMMARY:
Comprehensive Health Systems, Inc. recognizes that cultural competency plays a vital role in reaching our goal of supporting consumer recovery and resilience in ways that are meaningful for individuals in their communities and relevant to their uniquely diverse experiences. Our role as an organization is to give our personnel and providers the key skills, they need to support each person served in their individualized recovery and to engage and support consumers in a way that is culturally, diversly, and linguistically appropriate. CHS will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of cultural differences and will provide an environment that is inclusive of all people regardless of their culture, age, gender, sexual orientation spiritual beliefs, socioeconomic status, language, race or other factors as relevant.