Cultural and Linguistic Inclusion

Given our largely diverse population, there is a clear need to tailor services to ensure cultural and linguistic inclusion and sensitivity. This includes offering services in the appropriate languages and at literacy levels clients can understand, as well as demonstrating cultural awareness and humility when providing services.

Institute for Cultural and Linguistic Inclusion and Responsiveness (ICLIR)

The Institute for Cultural and Linguistic Inclusion and Responsiveness is one of the Center for Health Equity’s focus areas. Our mission is to create appropriate pathways that address gaps in service delivery and advance the Health Agency’s ability to meet the needs of diverse communities and patient populations. These communities are inclusive of individuals from different cultural backgrounds associated with:

• race and ethnicity
• national origin
• language
• sexual orientation and gender identity
• socioeconomic status
• physical and mental abilities
• spiritual and religious beliefs

The Department of Mental Health leads the Institute in partnership with the Departments of Public Health and Health Services. The Institute includes key representatives from all three health departments who are joined by community members and other stakeholders to increase our understanding and ability to address health inequities. Working together, we plan to:

• Build infrastructure to support culturally and linguistically appropriate service delivery
• Provide staff development opportunities to enhance cross-cultural awareness, sensitivity and humility
• Promote communication and stakeholder involvement to gather and respond to feedback from consumers, family members, peers, advocates, health promoters and staff.
• Share resources on cultural competency, health equity and health disparities to support ongoing learning.

The Institute is currently focused on the following activities:

• establishing data collection, analysis and dissemination standards for race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, primary language and disability status
• Improving ways to provide language assistance services to Health Agency clients
• Developing training activities to increase cultural awareness, sensitivity and humility
• Building a virtual library to centralize online resources on cultural competency, health equity and disparities
• Finding technological solutions to improve delivery of culturally and linguistically appropriate services  

Underserved Cultural Communities Subcommittees

Underserved Cultural Communities (UsCC) refer to communities historically unserved, underserved and inappropriately served in terms of mental health services. Department of Mental Health developed UsCC subcommittees to address the needs of targeted ethnic and cultural communities. Currently, there are seven subcommittees that meet monthly to discuss relevant issues and projects. They include:

• Access for All
• African/African American
• American Indian/Alaska Native
• Asian Pacific Islander
• Disability
• Eastern European/Middle Eastern
• Latino
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Two-Spirit

All subcommittee meetings are open to mental health providers, consumers/clients, family members, community organizations and community members.

For more information, click here.

Virtual Resource Library – Coming Soon!