California State University San Marcos Launches New Online Certificate of Cultural Competency in Healthcare

    SAN MARCOS, CA, May 26, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) Extended Learning has partnered with the CSUSM Medical Anthropology Department to offer the Certificate of Cultural Competency in Healthcare, an important new resource for healthcare administrators, directors, and providers that teaches the necessary skills for delivering comprehensive, high-quality health care and services to diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural communities.

There are numerous ethical and practical reasons why providing culturally and linguistically appropriate healthcare services are necessary and useful. This training can help organizations eliminate long-standing disparities in the health status of people of diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds; improve primary care outcomes; meet legislative, regulatory, and accreditation mandates; and decrease the likelihood of liability/malpractice claims.

Health disparities and the need for cultural competence training for health professionals came to the forefront in 2000 when the US Office of Minority Health first released the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Healthcare report, which called for state and local governments to create standards and rules demonstrating a commitment to cultural competency. Some states such as California have gone further, by passing legislation requiring that continuing medical education for physicians and other medical service providers include curriculum on cultural and linguistic competency.

San Diego County has had a commitment to cultural competence since 1997. More than 22% of San Diego's population was born in another country and 42% of children have one or more foreign-born parents (County of San Diego, Behavioral Health Services Cultural Competence Plan 2015). "In order to provide all residents in San Diego County with access to vital healthcare services, it is important that healthcare professionals have training available that attunes them to the needs of diverse patient communities including transnational migrants, indigenous communities, rural and urban refugees, and other minority populations," said Bonnie Bade, Professor of Medical Anthropology and Chair of the CSUSM Anthropology Department.

The Certificate of Cultural Competency in Healthcare from CSUSM differs in important ways from popular non-academic programs in that it has been designed by scholars of medicine and culture with extensive hands-on experience working with hard-to-reach communities. The program is comprised of six courses that provide appropriate tools and knowledge for health care administrators, directors, and medical care providers who are serving an increasingly diverse community of patients and incorporates "best practices" for primary, preventative, chronic, palliative, and end-of-life care. Each course fulfills 30 Board of Registered Nurses Continuing Education Units and each can be taken separately of the certificate program.

"Healthcare providers who complete this program will distinguish themselves from their peers by delivering services that are respectful and responsive to the health beliefs, practices, and cultural and linguistic needs of diverse populations," said Mike Schroder, Dean of Extended Learning and Associate Vice President of Global Programs and Services at CSUSM. "Cal State San Marcos is committed to educating healthcare providers who excel in the delivery of culturally competent healthcare."

Applications are currently being accepted for this unique program and enrollments are limited. To learn more about this online certificate program, call 760-750-4004, or visit https://www.csusm.edu/el/cchc.

About CSUSM Extended Learning
As the academic outreach arm of Cal State San Marcos, Extended Learning is a leading provider of professional and continuing education in North San Diego and Southwest Riverside Counties. Offering degree programs, such as a Specialized MBA degree, as well as both academic credit and noncredit professional development courses, Extended Learning helps individuals and organizations achieve their educational and training goals. For more information about Extended Learning at CSUSM please visit http://www.csusm.edu/el/.

# # #