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cultural competency
CULTURAL COMPETENCY IS “The ability to honor and respect the beliefs, languages, interpersonal styles, and behaviors of individuals and families receiving services, as well as staff members who are providing such services. Cultural competence is a dynamic, ongoing developmental process that requires a long-term commitment and is achieved over time.” -U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) “ America, designed as a melting pot made to withstand any ingredient, is more diverse than ever. Researchers predict the U.S. will be a majority-minority country by the mid-2040’s as minority births far outpace white births. Indeed, more than half of all Americans under five are non-white. Institutional awareness and inclusion of differing cultures has always been a challenge, and the field of addiction recovery care is no exception. However, treatment centers have made strides in cultural competency, thereby providing clients with better care and clinicians with more diverse and efficient treatment models. 38
CULTURAL COMPETENCY FOR ADDICTION TREATMENT PROFESSIONALS
Experts agree that acknowledging, appreciating and understanding varying cultures is critical to effective treatment. Cultural competency provides those in recovery with more options and equips treatment professionals with more tools. “Every culture has specific values that can be used in treatment,” write researchers from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “such as the support of extended families and of religious or spiritual communities. By appreciating a client’s culture, staff can tap into the most effective treatment strategies: those based on the personal and social strengths of each individual.” Indeed, treatment centers that don’t recognize and implement cultural competency practices stand to lose funding. Attention to cultural competence is a requirement for accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). JCAHO currently is reviewing and is expected to adopt some form of the national standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate services in health care.
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