Department for Aging and Disability Services
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The United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health developed a set of 15 standards
known as the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health and Health Care
(the “CLAS Standards”).
The CLAS Standards provide a framework to advance health equity, improve health care quality, and help reduce disparities with a whole-person approach that considers cultural background when attending to a person’s health care needs. The Principal CLAS Standard is: “Provide effective, equitable, understandable, and respectful quality care and services that are responsive to diverse cultural health beliefs and practices, preferred languages, health literacy, and other communication needs.” The remaining CLAS Standards are divided into three categories: (1) governance, leadership, and workforce;communication and language assistance; and (3) engagement, continuous improvement, and accountability.
Requirements at the state level are often focused on cultural competency training, in alignment with the standard to “Educate and train governance, leadership, and workforce in culturally and linguistically appropriate policies and practices.” In most cases, CLAS training must be completed as a part of the renewal process for licensed health care providers, or training must be provided as part of continuing education courses or in curriculum for colleges that train health care providers.