Track 1-1a
Management

The Path to Cultural Competency: Pitfalls and Promises

At Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, ensuring a culturally competence health care system is both a reality and a goal. A reality, because we serve a culturally diverse population throughout New England. A goal, too, as we move into our sixth year of a large scale diversity/cultural competency initiative, and we are still in the process of transformation. Each step has brought numerous lessons and unanticipated challenges; all of which have better prepared the organization to serve its diverse customers.
  This presentation will focus on some of the strategies utilized, and challenges, which still confront us, in creating a culturally competent health care system. Specifically, this talk will address these questions:

• What is the business and clinical case for cultural competency a t HPHC?
• How do you create institutional "buy-in" and accountability for a cultural competency strategy?
• What are ways top move beyond awareness to cultural competency skills?
• How do you track progress and measure impact of your efforts?
• What are examples of organizational barriers that still exist?
• What important lessons have you learned?

During the course of this session, specific key initiatives will be described, including

1. HPHC’s comprehensive linguistic program,
2. Foundations in Cross Cultural Health Care, an innovative 3 day skill-based workshop for physicians;
3. HPHC’s Diversity Check-up, provocative bi-annual reports on the state of diversity and cultural competency at HPHC and;
4. an accountability framework for senior executives around issues of diversity and cultural competency.

   Barbara Stern
   Vice President, Diversity
   Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
   10 Brookline Place West
   Brookline, MA 02146
   Phone: 617-730-7710
   Fax: 617-730-4695
   Email: Barbara_Stern@hphc.org

BARBARA A. STERN, Vice President, Diversity since 1993. She joined Harvard Community Health Plan in 1985 as Director of Administration, where she served in a Chief of Staff role to the President and Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that, she held a variety of training, organizational development, and marketing positions on the West Coast before relocating to the East in 1984. In her current position as Vice President, Diversity, she is responsible for setting the strategic direction for Harvard Pilgrim Health Care’s diversity effort and leading the organizational change process. She is a Director of Outdoor Explorations, Alliance for the Homeless, and Jewish Family & Children’s Services, and a member of the Conference Board’s Council on Work Force Diversity, Harvard Diversity Consortium, LeadBoston Alumni Association, United Negro College Fund Advisory Board, and Advisory Board of the Diversity Factor.  NEXT >

essentials | models and practices | policy | legal issues | networking
table of contents | contact us | who we are

These pages are sponsored by the HHS Health Care Financing Administration.
Copyright © 1998, DiversityRx; www.diversityRx.org, Last update:January 20, 2000

 Diversity Rx is sponsored by: