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About Think Cultural Health (TCH)
Think Cultural Health (TCH) is dedicated to advancing health equity at every point of contact. With growing concerns about health inequities and the need for health care systems to reach increasingly diverse patient populations, cultural competence has become more and more a matter of national concern.
Providers can take the first step to improve the quality of health care services given to diverse populations. By learning to be more aware of their own cultural beliefs and more responsive to those of their patients, providers can think in ways they might not have before. That can lead to self-awareness and, over time, changed beliefs and attitudes that can translate into better health care.
This site, sponsored by the Office of Minority Health, offers the latest resources and tools to promote cultural and linguistic competency in health care. You may access free and accredited continuing education programs as well as tools to help you and your organization provide respectful, understandable, and effective services.
Think Cultural Health is the flagship initiative of the OMH Center for Linguistic and Cultural Competence in Health Care. The goal of Think Cultural Health is to Advance Health Equity at Every Point of Contact through the development and promotion of culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
Poor health outcomes for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders are apparent when compared to the rest of the U.S. population. These populations experience higher rates of illness and death from health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, specific cancers, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, asthma, hepatitis B, and overweight and obesity. OMH's primary responsibility is to improve health and health care outcomes for racial and ethnic minority communities by developing or advancing policies, programs, and practices that address health, social, economic, environmental, and other factors which impact health. For more details, see Office of Minority Health.
The mission of the Center for Linguistic and Cultural Competency in Health Care (CLCCHC) – a part of the HHS Office of Minority Health – is to collaborate with federal agencies and other public and private entities to enhance the ability of the health care system to effectively deliver linguistically appropriate and culturally competent health care at every point of contact to limited English-speaking populations. For more details, see CLCCHC.
Recognition for Think Cultural Health
From the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT),
the 2012 Award for Emerging Technologies
From Strategic Health Care Communications,
the 2012 eHealthcare Leadership Awards for:
Best Overall Internet site (Silver):
Think Cultural Health's Cultural Competency Curriculum for Disaster Preparedness and Crisis Response
Best Overall Internet site (Distinction):
Think Cultural Health
From Strategic Health Care Communications,
the 2011 eHealthcare Leadership Awards for:
Best Overall Internet site (Silver):
Think Cultural Health
Best Site Design (Gold):
Think Cultural Health
Best Interactive Site (Distinction):
Think Cultural Health's Cultural Competency Curriculum for Disaster Preparedness and Crisis Response
From Strategic Health Care Communications,
the 2010 eHealthcare Leadership Awards for:
Best Interactive Site (Gold): Think Cultural Health's Cultural Competency Curriculum for Disaster Preparedness and Crisis Response
