Cultural differences

A portable clinic uses specially designed equipment to bring full-service dental care to elementary schools serving impoverished, immigrant, and uninsured children.

Two safety net clinics offered low-income Hispanic patients with both diabetes and depression culturally appropriate care (including medication and/or psychotherapy) and ongoing support led by trained, bilingual social workers, leading to improvements in medication adherence, depression-related symptoms, and patient satisfaction.

A culturally tailored smoking cessation program significantly reduces tobacco use among members of an American Indian tribe.

Culturally appropriate videos provide first-person narratives of patients living with hypertension, leading to significant improvements in blood pressure among low-income, inner-city African Americans with previously uncontrolled hypertension.

A culturally appropriate, interactive decision aid placed at health fairs and in safety net clinics generates high levels of engagement among underserved Hispanic and Latino smokers, leading to well above-average quit rates.

The Full Circle Diabetes program provides comprehensive care and self-management support to Native Americans with diabetes, leading to improvements in health-related behaviors, clinical outcomes, and emotional health.

A Native American tribe–owned skilled nursing facility provides culturally competent services using a holistic approach to health and well-being, leading to high patient and family member satisfaction and low staff turnover.

Contra Costa Health Services provides video and telephonic interpretation services to diverse patient populations at its clinics and regional hospital through participation in a shared network of trained interpreters, leading to improved access to interpretation services for patients with limited English proficiency.

A hospital-based maternal/child health clinic enhances access to comprehensive, culturally competent prenatal and pediatric care for refugee families, leading to less anxiety among expectant mothers and better attendance at scheduled appointments.

A multidisciplinary, primary care center–based team used a culturally sensitive approach to screen, evaluate, and treat depressed Chinese Americans, leading to a sevenfold increase in treatment rates.