It is no secret that culturally competent care is important. It leads to improved health outcomes, patient safety, and reduced care disparities. It is a learning process, one that we are committed to across the health sciences, in order to increase access and meet the needs of diverse communities.
Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC) provides comprehensive team-based care to almost 12,000 patients annually from diverse countries, cultures, and backgrounds. Part of what makes CUHCC so special is the culturally aware and responsive care they provide. Several years ago, Roli Dwivedi, MD, now CEO for CUHCC, saw a diabetic patient who was preparing to fast in preparation for Ramadan, which led her to develop an education curriculum for CUHCC staff, students, residents, and faculty. Working with community members, Imams, and focus groups, they created a community- and clinic-facing module, Ramadan Revealed: A Community-Based Perspective to Ramadan, to better understand the importance of Ramadan, common misconceptions, and reflect on how community narratives can help better medical education. Now, every year at CUHCC, they hold an education session for CUHCC staff and invite patients to come into the clinic to help with medication management while fasting.
This is just one example of many that demonstrate culturally-competent care using a non-Western centric approach. CUHCC works with their patients to improve care and interacts with the communities they serve, and learns to adapt.
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