Kamana Khadka
The Fourth & Reflections From My
Presentation At The Flinn Foundation
70 million immigrants have come to America since the first
colonists arrived. Ever since their
arrival, immigrants have played key roles in economic development and have made
remarkable innovations driving American prosperity. But despite the history, immigrants in
America continue to face various disparities among which health disparities are
the most inhumane. As I was celebrating
independence of our great nation, I could not help
reflect on countless contributions made by immigrants over the course of 200
years of America’s existence. Hence on
the 4th of July, I renewed my pledge to continue advocating for
immigrants representing minority communities in America who often don’t have
loud enough of a voice to be heard.
On June 21, 2013, I presented on the topic “Establishing
Culturally Competent Partnerships With Diverse Communities” at the Flinn
Foundation for Mountain Park Health Center’s (MPHC) Annual Summit. My
presentation explored strategies that helped widen and deepen the dialogue
across the boundaries between the health care communities and the communities
accessing care. The Summit attendees
were medical practitioners, administrative staff that deal with everyday
diversity at work, patients who access MPHC’s services on a regular basis, and
decision makers of organizations. Below were the objectives of my presentation:
1. To develop an awareness of the complex dynamics
present in communities.
2. To develop a relevant knowledge base to work
effectively with communities.
3. To develop skills and strategies for effective
community programs and linkages.
4. To develop culturally competent community
assessment strategies.
It was an honor to present for MPHC because in a true sense,
they are, in the process of transforming health care in Arizona. MPHC is the only community health center I
know in Arizona that has a Diversity Director position. Mr. Essen Otu, the Diversity Director of MPHC,
has done commendable work in re-defining the best practices to create an
inclusive medical home for their diverse patients hence proving themselves as a
leader in diversity and inclusion.
During my presentation I shared some of the tips on how to build
culturally competent community partnerships.
The first step in becoming the patient centered medical home is to
establish linkages with a community whose members use or are likely to use the
health services. It is very important
that you start from a position of respect and a willingness to share power,
resources, and information fully. It is
vital that the institutions or agency become fully aware of the community, with
all its complexities and nuances. Is the
community accessing your services immigrant or refugees? What are some of the
immigration patterns? What are the
languages spoken? What are the religious
beliefs represented? What are some of the common cultural values? All the above
and more are the right questions and some of the questions organizations should
be asking themselves as they have direct linkages to your patient’s health
beliefs.
“Many minority communities have a
long history of outsiders coming into their community to ‘rescue’ their
members” from disease and poverty.
Although well meaning, many of these programs were ineffective because
they did not involve community members in their planning and
implementation. Some actually
perpetuated discrimination and racism.
Lastly, understand that there is a wealth of knowledge within
the community itself. Hence it is
imperative to build trust and confidence with the community which can be
somewhat challenging given the history of underserved communities that have
faced exclusion and prejudice. At the end of my presentation, participants
walked away with:
1. Strategies for working effectively in communities
2. Organizing culture specific community forums
3. Culturally competent community assessments
Please Note: ASU Continuing Education Credits is also available for those
interested.
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