Letter from our Executive Director |
As this is CCHCP's last newsletter of 2020, we would like to highlight Universal Human Rights Month, which takes place in December. On December 10th, 1948 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of fundamental freedoms and basic rights to be achieved for every individual in the world. At CCHCP, we believe that every individual has the right to quality health care services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. We encourage our CCHCP colleagues to read Article 25 of the Declaration, explaining that every person has the right to adequate health and well-being. Read Article 25 and the rest of the Declaration here.
You’ll find in this newsletter more information about The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and how it pertains to the work we all do in language access and equity and inclusion. Also, we want to note that October is Health Literacy month. Check out our article on Health Literacy Month and health literacy resources.
We are so grateful and hold in deepest respect the work being done by everyone in the health care and human services community, especially this year during which the world has experienced not only the tragic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a renewed realization that as a society we have much work to be done to address health inequities and racial justice. We recently also experienced devastating wildfires in the western U.S. states. We heard from AllCare Health in Grants Pass, Oregon, which uses our Bridging the Gap curriculum to train medical interpreters, about how medical interpreters worked with public health, emergency management and health care organizations to assist with relief efforts in the southern Oregon communities hit hard by the wildfires. You can read more about how medical interpreters were an important resource for the southern Oregon community in a letter we received from AllCare Health that we have included in this newsletter, along with a photo of some of the participants from one of AllCare’s recent Bridging the Gap classes.
At CCHCP we welcome another new board member this month – Keith A. Bussey, Director of Operations in the Office of Healthcare Equity at UW Medicine.
As we wind down the year, we look forward to serving you and your communities towards achieving the goal of equitable access to quality health care services. May the difficult experiences and lessons learned during 2020 serve to create a world where all our universal human rights are valued and continuously strengthened.
|
|
Universal Human Rights Month
How do I celebrate?
|
|
To celebrate International Human Rights Day and Universal Human Rights Month, think about educating yourself, and helping spread the word.
- Strapped for time? Check out this simplified version available in PDF format
- Share this fun illustrated version
- You can also watch the Declaration in sign language
- Watch this video of people around the world reading articles from the Declaration in more than 80 languages, in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Declaration in 2018!
- Share the above resources on social media! And consider how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is relevant to you and your place of work
|
|
CCHCP Welcomes New Board Member, Keith A. Bussey |
We are pleased to announce that Keith A. Bussey, the Director of Operations in the Office of Healthcare Equity at UW Medicine in Seattle, has joined our board of directors. His professional vision involves connecting people to events, projects and ideas that spur strengths-driven, mission-centric productivity. Prior to joining UW Medicine, Keith was the Director of Geographic Health Equity Alliance at Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) in Washington, DC. Alongside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Keith devised and implemented strategies to reduce geographically specific health disparities related to tobacco use and cancer. He’s also worked at the Georgia Dept. of Public Health, and with United Way of Central Alabama, on tobacco cessation efforts. Keith has an MBA from the University of Georgia and an MPH from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. For more information on the breadth of Keith’s professional background in public health and healthcare equity, here’s a link to his bio.
|
|
While doing the work of equity and inclusion, it is difficult to avoid occasional push back. One can face active opposition to the idea that all people are deserving of dignity and respect, especially from those who feel threatened by the differences of others. Hearts and minds may be closed, which is why our work must go on. On the other hand, we are entering the time of year where we are united in celebrations surrounded by food, family, music, and friends. This can be infectious and open the door for cross cultural acts of kindness and validation if we pause to give it a try.
Universal Human Rights Month is a great opportunity to practice extending good will to others outside your normal social and professional circles. We encourage you to use some of the principles of equity and inclusion to remember the value of all human beings and the rights extended to them by their humanity. Monitor your biases that favor those who look, talk and worship like you; maintain environments in which everyone has their best chance at succeeding; work toward creating the conditions that ensure individuals are eligible to use services facilities and programs; and actively create spaces in which any individual can feel welcome, respected, and valued.
|
|
On November 5th and 6th, we are presenting “Closing the Gap: Building Culturally Competent Systems of Care.” Attendees of this 2-day workshop will walk away with an understanding of how some of our current systems of care cause unintentional harm to the communities they are meant to serve.
As health and human services professionals, we all know the importance of acknowledging impact over intent. Even when we make decisions and interact with patients and clients with the purpose of helping them, any harm caused can override the good. When there is a lack of trust, those we serve may learn not to disclose information that can be vital to providing them with the best care. Or even worse, they may stop seeking us out for services.
This one of a kind workshop is a fantastic opportunity to learn how to begin to repair and undo that harm by building better and healthier lives and develop authentic relationships within the community.
Click here to register today!
|
|
Did you know The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been translated into over 500 languages, making it the most translated document in the world? Click here to find your language!
While not every hospital or clinic has access to interpreters and translators in 500 languages, the language access team at CCHCP continues to strive for advancing access to qualified interpreters in communities everywhere. With the help of our licensed organizations, thousands of interpreters have graduated from the Bridging the Gap program since we began our work in the early 1990s.
At CCHCP we value the Declaration’s articles stating that every human has a right to adequate health care (Article 25) and that no person shall be denied these rights based on language, race, color, sex, political opinions, or religion (Article 2). Interpreter services make a difference in communities and allow patients with limited English proficiency to receive adequate health care.
If your hospital, clinic, language agency, or community nonprofit is looking to improve or introduce interpreter services in your community, contact us about our Bridging the Gap Training of Trainers (ToT) program. We are excited to host our first ToT of 2021 online via Zoom in March! |
|
Health Literacy
Are you or your organization working to promote health literacy in your community? Join Health Literacy Month this October by submitting a "Health Literacy Hero". Learn more about what a health literacy hero is and how to submit one today!
A recent Health Literacy Hero award went to Health Information Translations - an online resource providing plain language health education resources for health care professionals working with limited English proficient populations. This website is a collaboration of health education specialists from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Mount Carmel Health System, OhioHealth, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The Joint Commission recommends this site as a resource for translated patient education materials.
For more info on health literacy resources, here’s a link to resources compiled by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services.
Want to do more about low Health Literacy in your community?
Consider becoming a Patient Guide at your hospital or clinic, or partnering with CCHCP to teach this course at your organization. A Patient Guide is a professional medical interpreter who connects patients to medical care and support services through systems education and guidance.
Become a Patient Guide by taking the Connecting to Care (CTC) training with CCHCP. Learn about how concepts like Health Literacy and Patient Centered Care affect the interpreter's role, while learning skills like Advanced Culture Brokering to navigate complex situations.
Contact us to learn more about the program and upcoming courses!
|
|
Photo: Graduates of AllCare's March 2020 BTG Class |
|
Bridging the Gap Graduates Serving Southern Oregon |
Amidst the devastating news we read and heard about the wildfires in the western U.S., AllCare Health in Grants Pass, Oregon recounts the essential work of interpreters to communicate information to people with limited English proficiency in southern Oregon. Please click the link below to read more from Stick Crosby, the Network and Health Equity Director at AllCare Health, on how CCHCP's Bridging the Gap (BTG) training has helped their communities.
|
|
|
|
-
November 5-6, 2020: Closing the Gap: Building Culturally Competent Systems of Care
- November 9 - December 5, 2020: Online 40-Hour Bridging the Gap Medical Interpreter Training
- February 1-12, 2021: Online 40-Hour Bridging the Gap Medical Interpreter Training
- March 1-12, 2021: Online Bridging the Gap Training of Trainers
Interested in attending a training in 2021? Email our departments to learn about upcoming courses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
