Transcript CULTURAL COMPETENCY - Healthy Kansans 2010

CULTURAL COMPETENCY
Presented by
Abdul Bakar
Jewish Vocational Service
Jewish Vocational Service
History: established in 1949 to resettle
Holocaust survivors and other refugees
MISSION: to assist any individual with
barriers to become more self-reliant by
providing employment, training, personal
development, and support services.
Jewish Vocational Service
Refugee/Immigration/Lang. & Cult.Svcs. Dept.
includes refugee employment services, refugee
resettlement, immigration counseling
Language and Cultural Services Dept. includes
Interpreter Development Services, Cultural Competency
training, Occupational Spanish classes, Title VI training,
Provider training
Setting the Tone
Expectations
Training Goals
Ground Rules
Introductions
Trainer Expectations
 Show respect by listening to each other and not
interrupting.
 Participate actively in the training.
 Maintain strict confidentiality by not identifying
specific individuals or clinics or anything else that could
identify a client or provider and not sharing outside the
classroom any of the personal stories that are told.
 Give feedback in appropriate ways by starting feedback
with a positive comment; avoid blaming; identify
individual opinions as such.
Training Goals
Increase awareness of diversity
Expand definition of cultural competency
Improve service quality for diverse populations
Work more effectively with interpreters
Understand Title VI and Basic Components of
Office for Civil Rights policy guidance
Improve cross-cultural communication and
decrease potential misunderstandings
Your Goals
What do you hope to learn from this
training?
Icebreaker
 Your name and what you do in your
organization.
 Who is your community?
Refugees / Immigrants:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between
refugees and immigrants?
Refugees have fled their country
because of a “well founded fear” of
persecution, while immigrants have left
their home country on their own will.
Refugees / Immigrants:
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do refugees leave their country?
There are many reasons, some main ones being:
war, religious or political persecution, reasons of race,
etc.
Why do refugees come to the U.S.?
Refugees do not choose where they go from the
refugee camp; they are assigned by the UN.
Do refugees ever return home?
Yes, in large numbers, although many others also
choose to stay and build a life where they are
assigned.
Refugees / Immigrants:
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do immigrants leave their country?
Again, there are many reasons. It may be to find a
better job, to reacquaint with family, to build a better
life, to gain an education, to simply live in another
place, among many other reasons.
Do immigrants help or hurt the United States?
Immigrants have contributed greatly to the face of
the U.S. in the types of food we eat, the music we
hear and the many events that take place. They also
add to our country intellectually, financially and
culturally.
Somali - General
 High respect for strength and often challenge others
to test their limits
 Justice is based on the notion of "an eye for an eye"
 Somalis are a proud people
 Deep value on the family. The strength of family ties
provides a safety net in times of need, and the
protection of family honor is important.
 Loyalty is an important value and can extend
beyond family and clan. Somalis value their
friendships
Somali - General
 High value placed on independence, democracy,
individualism and generosity
 Somalis generally do not express their appreciation
verbally.
 Strong adherence to Islam
 While Islam and the Somali language unite all of
Somalia, the societal structure is markedly
fractionated by membership in patrilineal clans
 Much of the current strife in Somalia is centered
around clan disputes, as allegiance to the clan far
outweighs allegiance to a united Somalia
Somali - General
 Handshakes are appropriate only between men or
between women
 The right hand is considered clean, and is used for
eating, handshaking, and the like; children are
taught early to use only their left hand for hygiene
during toilet training
 Ritual cleaning of the body, especially before
prayers, is dictated by Islam
 Birthdays are not particularly celebrated by Somalis,
and it is not uncommon for people to not know the
exact date of their birth
Somali - Gender Roles
Strict separation of the sexes, and
women, including sometimes
prepubescent girls, are expected to cover
their bodies
However, women in Somali culture have
considerable status, and many resettled
refugee women are highly educated and
held professional positions inside Somalia
Somali - Traditional
Medical Practices
Herbalists, bone-setters and religious
practitioners are traditional medical
practitioners
Herbal medicines are widely used in
Somalia, especially for chest and
abdominal symptoms
”Fire-burning" is a common practice
where a special stick is burned and then
applied to the skin
Somali - Traditional
Medical Practices
Concepts involving spirits, such as "evileye," where excessive praise or attention
can attract evil spirits to a infant or child,
can be viewed as causing illness
Ritualized dancing is used mostly for
psychosomatic disorders, and Koranic
cures as well
Female genital cutting is commonly
practiced
Somali Bantu - General
The Bantu are an oppressed group within
Somalia
Known for a strong work ethic
Capacity to easily adjust to any situation
A resourceful people with many different skills
Strictly follow Islamic ideals
Because the Bantu stand outside of Somalia’s
dominant clan rivalries, they won’t participate in
the clan violence sometimes seen in America’s
immigrant Somali communities
Somali Bantu - General
very strong sense of family and
community
limited exposure to urban ways of life,
such as transportation systems, rental
property, and government services
Electricity, flush toilets, telephones, and
kitchen and laundry appliances are all
foreign concepts to most
Somali Bantu - Gender Roles
Generally Bantu society is a patriarchal one
in which the father is the main provider and
the mother is the general manager of the
family's domestic affairs
Daily life for most men is consumed by either
working on private farms or at wage earning
jobs. Most women play the role of the head
of the household, while also being
responsible for food preparation and farming
tasks.
Somali Bantu Health Care Practices
 The Bantu are a rural people who practice
traditional beliefs.
 Some Bantu apply a heated nail or metal object to
an infant's head in the belief that the burns will
reduce the swelling of the head in cases where it is
unusually large.
 They also burn small holes in the skin to cure
ailments like stomach aches and migraine
headaches.
 Like other rural east African people, the use of
herbs in traditional medical practices is common.
Somali Bantu Health Care Practices
Religious prayer is used to help ward off or cure
illness and disease
Traditional healers also play an important role in
performing ritual ceremonies, known as Gitimiri
or Audara, to cast off illness and evil spells
Like other Somali groups, the Bantu circumcise
both males and females. The female
circumcision practiced by some Bantu is a milder
form than that practiced by the other Somali
groups
Somali Bantu - Health Issues
A long history of marginalization has adversely
affected their sense of equality and self-esteem.
The Bantu were further affected by the recent
civil war with many fleeing only after their
villages were attacked.
There is not only the aftereffects of trauma from
violence and the constant threat of attacks in
the refugee camps, but also the Bantu's
intergenerational culture of inferiority and
second-class status.
Working Effectively with
Interpreters
Who is an appropriate interpreter?
Roles and responsibilities of interpreter
Effective strategies for communicating through
an interpreter
Who is appropriate to act as
an Interpreter?
• Bilingual staff who are trained and
competent in skill of interpreting
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Staff interpreters
Contracted Interpreter Service
Community Volunteer Interpreters
Telephone Interpreter Lines
Who is NOT appropriate as
an Interpreter?
Friends of any LEP individual
Family member of LEP patient/client
Minor children
Anyone who has not demonstrated proficiency in both
languages
 Anyone who has not received training in interpretation
 Anyone who does not have an understanding of ethics
and interpreting practices
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Interpreter
The basic purpose of the medical/social
service interpreter is to facilitate
understanding and communication
between two or more people who are
speaking different languages.
– CCHCP, Interpreter training curriculum
Roles of the Interpreter
 CONDUIT
 Interpret exactly what is said: add nothing, change nothing,
omit nothing.
 CLARIFIER
 Adjust register or complexity of language. Check for
understanding.
 CULTURE BROKER
 When cultural differences cause misunderstanding, provide
necessary cultural framework for understanding message.
 ADVOCATE
 Action taken on behalf of someone else.
Tips for Effective Communication
through an Interpreter
 POSITIONING – interpreter should be seated next to and a little
bit behind LEP client
 ACCURACY – everything that is said should be interpreted; no side
conversations; check for comprehension; speak in short phrases
and pause to allow for interpretation
 COMPETENCY – assess interpreter qualifications and skills;
bilingual individuals should be trained in interpreting and have
knowledge of policies at your organization
Medical errors
According to a study by the Institute of
Medicine, “at least 44,000 people and
perhaps as many as 98,000 people die in
hospitals each year as a result of medical
errors that could have been prevented.”
– Source: Institute of Medicine, “To Err is Human: Building a Safer
Health System”, Nov. 1999
Language and Culture
“People who speak different
languages live in different worlds,
not the same world with different
labels.”
– Edward Sapir, linguist, 1928.
Contact us!
Jewish Vocational Service
Language and Cultural Services
1608 Baltimore
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 471 - 2808
www.jvskc.org
Brandi Miller
Cathy Anderson
[email protected]
[email protected]