A Newsletter for the HHQI Underserved Populations (UP) Network | June 2016

Welcome to the Underserved Populations (UP) Network e-newsletter, the UPDate.

This quarterly newsletter provides several summaries of news and/or research

that affects underserved populations which may include: Health disparities,

underserved regions, dual-eligible, or small home health agencies.

Underserved Population (UP) Network Announcements

Underserved Populations (UP) Network Quarterly Webinar | July 21, 2016 | 2-3pm ET

Delivering Culturally Confident Care: A 365 Approach

Guest Speaker:

Emeobong "Eme" Martin, MPH

Project Manager, Cultural Competence

Adventist Healthcare

This activity is pending approval for 1.25 Nursing continuing education credits by the Alabama State Nurses Association (ASNA), which will be free for learners. To receive CE credits, participants must watch the 60-minute webinar and complete an additional 15 minutes of related coursework in HHQI University.

Visit the HHQI website for the webinar description, registration, and continuing education details.

Did you miss the April 2016 UP Network Webinar?

The Long-Term Negative Effects of Trauma webinar (60 minutes) provided information and data related to how a traumatic event(s) can have chronic lasting effects with development and functioning. Participants learned the sources of potential trauma and complex trauma for individuals served in health care. Learning objectives also included the impact of trauma on emotional and behavioral functioning as well as the principles of trauma-informed systems. Free Nursing (ANCC) and Social Worker (NASW) CEs available.

Guest Speaker:

Karen Yost, MS, LSW, LPC, NCC, ALPS, CSOTS, MAC, Prestera Center

UP Network Webinar Schedule:

2016	2017
July 21* Delivering Culturally Confident Care	January 19
October 20*	April 20
	July 20
	October 19

All webinars will be held from 2-3pm ET.

Unless specified in the table, topics for UP Network webinars are to-be-determined. As soon as more details are available, they will be accessible via the UP page on the HHQI website and emailed directly to those who are subscribed to our Educational & Networking Opportunities mailing list.

* Registration is open. Visit the UP page on the HHQI website for details & registration links.

UP News & Highlights

National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (National CLAS Standards)

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) was created in 1986 to address health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities identified in a landmark report in 1985. OMH is "dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities" (OMH-HHS, 2016). OMH is the largest repository of information on health disparities issues.

Thirty years after the formation of the OMH, health disparities are still prevalent today, but progress is being made.

In 2000 the OMH released the first National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) to improve health care quality, and advance health equity since disparities continue to persist. In 2010, OMH launched the National CLAS Standards Enhancement initiative to update the standards for the work for the next decade.

Four of the CLAS standards are federally mandated for organizations that receive federal funding (e.g., Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement) which includes most home health organizations.

Standard 4

Healthcare organizations must offer and provide language assistance services, including bilingual staff and interpreter services, at no cost to each patient/consumer with limited English proficiency at all points of contact, in a timely manner during all hours of operation.

Standard 5

Healthcare organizations must provide to patients/consumers in their preferred language both verbal offers and written notices informing them of their right to receive language assistance services.

Standard 6

Healthcare organizations must assure the competence of language assistance provided to limited English proficient patients/consumers by interpreters and bilingual staff. Family and friends should not be used to provide interpretation services (except on request by the patient/consumer).

Standard 7

Healthcare organizations must make available easily understood patient-related materials and post signage in the languages of the commonly encountered groups and/or groups represented in the service area.

(HHQI Underserved Population Best Practice Intervention Package, pp. 35-36)

Many states are considering or proposing legislative changes to mandate training for specific CLAS Standards. Think Cultural Health now provides a simple map to track the current status of state's CLAS-Related efforts. Click here to access the map and then click on your state.

Think Cultural Health Resources

National CLAS Standards List
National CLAS Standards and The Blueprint (guidance and implementation strategies)
National CLAS Fact Sheet
Several e-learning programs

Office of Minority Health Resources

Upcoming Webinar: The National CLAS Standards in Action

June 30, 2016 | 3:00 pm EDT | Register Now

Please join the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health for the second in a series of webinars on the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (National CLAS Standards). After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on joining the webinar.

Free Tools & Resources

HHQI Underserved Population Best Practice Intervention Package

Cultural Competence material (pp. 22-37)
Tools and Resources

Basic Cultural Competency Checklist
Cultural Sensitivity Assessment
I Speak Cards
INTERPRET Tool
Interview Strategies for Cultural Assessment
Working with an Interpreter

HHQI Underserved Populations Network Webinars:

Advancing Health Equity Now: Uniting Communities to Bring Healthcare Coverage to All (slides only)
American Indian Culture (audio with resources)
Challenges & Opportunities in Advancing Health Equity: Awareness of the Economic Case for Health Disparity Reduction (recorded webinar & slides)
Chronic Health Issues Affecting Hispanic Patients (recorded webinar & slides)
Decreasing Pain Disparities for Culturally Diverse Populations (audio with resources)
Reducing Health Disparities through Organizational Cultural Competence (recorded webinar & slides)

For more information or to suggest future UP topics or speakers,

please contact us at HHQI@wvmi.org.

Click here for more information about the HHQI National Campaign.

Stay Connected with HHQI

This material was prepared by Quality Insights, the Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization supporting the Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The views presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. Publication number 11SOW-WV-HH-ADL-061716