week 7-3

Cultural Competence Continuum

Health care leaders are increasingly aware of the need to develop a culturally competent organization. In your Cultural Competence Development Plan project, due in Unit 10, understanding the continuum is essential as you assess your workforce's cultural competence.

The bullets below refer to the National Center for Cultural Competence's 2004 document, Cultural Competence Continuum.

In less than 250 words, answer the following:

• Identify and discuss briefly the six steps (cultural destructiveness, cultural incapacity, cultural blindness, cultural pre-competence, cultural competence, and cultural proficiency) in the cultural competence continuum (Cross, Bazron, Dennis, & Isaacs, 1989 as referenced in Cultural Competence Continuum).
• According to Cross, Bazron, Dennis, and Isaacs (1989), if a health care organization actively recruits, hires, and maintains a diverse workforce with a culturally and linguistically competent workforce, and conducts self-assessment and training, it would be at what level on the cultural competency continuum?
• How might this framework help you as health care leader or manager strategically plan and move members and organizations toward a more culturally competent organization?

Reference

Cross, T., Bazron, B., Dennis, K., & Isaacs, M. (1989). Towards a culturally competent system of care (Vol. 1).
Washington, DC: CASSP Technical Assistance Center, Center for Child Health and Mental Health Policy, Georgetown University Child Development Center.

Response Guidelines

Read the posts of your peers, and respond to two, focusing on the response to the last question. Identify specific aspects of the "continuum of care" that would be affected by your peer's suggestion for using the framework. If you can, identify one aspect of the continuum that would not be affected.