The report is the result of a year long series of discussions by the members of the Minnesota Public Health Association's Immigrant Health Task Force. As task force members, we began with individual assumptions about health care and immigrants. As meetings progressed, we acknowledged those assumptions collectively. As a group, we agreed that everyone deserves access to quality health care, and that we all have an obligation to eliminate barriers to such access. These basic assumptions inform the recommendations in this report.
Every human being is a member of many cultures.
Culture influences an individual's health beliefs, practices, behaviors, and even the outcome of medical treatments. Because of this, health care providers must learn about culture. We must try to become culturally competent. Cultural competence in health care is defined in this report as the ability of individuals and systems to respond respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, in a manner that affirms the worth and preserves the dignity of individuals, families, and communities. Cultural Competence is important in every aspect of our public lives, but it is a crucial skill for health care providers, who deal daily with diverse people in life and death situations.