As you know, the ability of health care professionals to provide culturally appropriate care is essential to the overall health and well-being of our communities’ diverse populations. Because beliefs and behaviors surrounding health are influenced by race, ethnicity, nationality, and language, it’s vital for providers to thoughtfully consider these factors when developing care plans and treating patients.
Racial and ethnic minority groups often face health care challenges that others do not. Whether due to social stigma, geographic hurdles, or financial or language barriers, many individuals and families are unable to access much-needed medical and behavioral health care. At Point32Health, we’re addressing these disparities and are proud of our efforts to create and offer language services and provider networks that are mindful of cultural and linguistic needs.
Point32Health’s interpretation services — for hundreds of languages — are available to assist providers with communication for non-English-speaking patients. The grid below offers insight into the most spoken languages across our service area.
| Massachusetts | Maine | New Hampshire | Rhode Island | |||||
| 1. | Spanish | 11.46% | French | 3.41% | Spanish | 4.0% | Spanish | 15.65% |
| 2. | Portuguese | 3.75% | Spanish | 1.44% | French | 1.71% | Portuguese | 3.04% |
| 3. | Haitian | 1.67% | German | 0.43% | German | 0.54% | Haitian | 1.30% |
| 4. | Chinese | 1.49% | Somali | 0.42% | Portuguese | 0.48% | Khmer | 0.98% |
| 5. | French | 1.15% | Portuguese | 0.34% | Chinese | 0.41% | French | 0.97% |
Data from 2020 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS): percentages of surveyed households that speak each language
In addition to supporting patients’ communication needs, health care professionals can practice culturally appropriate care by:
- Integrating traditional healers into patient care teams
- Incorporating culture-specific values into treatment planning
- Including family and community members in decision making
- Collaborating with local clinics that are easily accessible to specific populations
- Expanding practice hours to accommodate work schedules and geographic challenges
- Educating staff on the components and importance of culturally appropriate health care
Resources for providers
As your partner in helping patients access equitable, high-quality, and affordable health care, we’ve developed a resource hub where you and your staff can find cultural competency training opportunities. We recognize that providing culturally appropriate medical and behavioral health care requires special consideration, but when we take the time to understand and meet the needs of patients with diverse backgrounds, we not only address health disparities, but help improve quality of care and overall health outcomes across our communities.