Guided Response: Due by Day 7.Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings. Your responses should be a minimum of 100 words each and should either elaborate on a key point a peer has made or seek to gain additional information. 

Tanisha’s Post:

By providing cultural sensitive services we know the difference between your clients cultures and understanding people who are different from US. Many  conflict issues can occur in this process of understanding  but if everyone in the organization is mindful of the organizations goals that are set in place it would be much easier to understand. Being in the health care field now we strive to acknowledge , understand and respond to ones culture. This is important because it can help improve quality care given to the patient.It can enhance respect , increase the clients access to culturally relevant care and the knowledge of difference and similarities between and with in their culture, and how culture affects an individual, their families  socially and academic functioning.

Using the MHHS case study some issues I was able to identify that lacked culturally sensitive approaches was the staff lacked diversity with majority of the staff is white, with 5 percent being Hispanic and African American decent. 75%  of the staff are females with 90% of the staff being men. Another issue that was identified was that about 10% of the clients speak Spanish and their are NO Spanish speaking staff member the clients have to bring in either their child or a relative to translate.

As a health and human service provider I would address this situation by first evaluating all current member to make sure they are diverse candidates and are able to handle different cultural backgrounds and different characteristics. I would provide diversity  training programs or classes for after work to help my employees learn how to address diversity issues that may occur. I would also create a diversified teams and provide them with opportunity to work together and continuous promote diversity efforts internally and externally. When employees are aware of each others unique traits and backgrounds, they can more easily find ways to use these varied strengths to accomplish  s common goal. and having a staff that can appreciate the variety of experiences shared by coworkers can promote broader cooperation.

Joanne’s Post:

Cultural competence is about our will and actions to build understanding between people, to be respectful and open to different cultural perspectives, strengthen cultural security and work towards equality in opportunity. Relationship building is fundamental to cultural competence and is based on the foundations of understanding each other’s expectations and attitudes, and subsequently building on the strength of each other’s knowledge, using a wide range of community members and resources to build on their understandings. This includes trust, respect for diversity, equity, fairness, and social justice. Culture is a large part of a person’s identity and the development of a strong cultural identity is necessary to an individual’s sense of who they are and where they belong. For a human service professional, we must be aware of our own views and beliefs, develop a positive attitude about cultures that are different form our own, learn what we can about other cultures and develop a healthy respect for the beliefs for others as well as bridging any communication gaps that may be present. 

In the case study there is a communication gap between the Spanish speaking clients and the staff. Hiring several Spanish speaking staff members will help to bridge the gap. The use of cell phone as a translator is also another way to increase communication without having to use the children of the client, who may not always understand what we are saying themselves. Some information may be lost in that translation. This shows the community that we serve that we care and will do what it takes to understand and meet the needs of the needs of the community.