beliefs and perspectives are included to make sure that service provision and in- terventions are appropriately aligned with the belief system of the child and family. However, documented differences (dis- parities) do exist with respect to access, use and outcomes in behavioral health services based on race, ethnicity and lan- guage. The only way we can begin to address these disparities is by gathering data on race, ethnicity, and language. Collecting valid data is critical, and the CBHI CANS application now has revised drop-down lists to improve the capture of this demographic information. It is important to collect race, ethnicity and language data because it provides information who we are serving and helps to ensure access to the best pos- sible care for all MassHealth members. Massachusetts has the 7th largest im- migrant population in the United States. Nearly ¼ of Massachusetts children are children of immigrants. Consistent data collection in these areas will help us im- prove the planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of services and programs. Key to our efforts is that data must be collected consistently, accurately, and professionally. Best practice for collecting race, eth- nicity and language data means always allowing a person to self identify and asking all participants about their race, ethnicity and language. Never make as- sumptions based on appearance. This can be most comfortably done with a brief explanation of data is being collected, such as ect information about race, eth- d language to learn more about the families and communities we This information will only be used to give all families the best possible care.” It will be helpful to have a printed list of race categories to allow clients to make an accurate determination of their race category. Show the client the race cat- egories, and ask him or her to select one category for race. Anticipate that many families have multiple racial and ethnic identities and be prepared for questions. In the CBHI CANS application only one choice may be selected, however, the fields for the selection of: Other, Chooses not to self-identify, and Unknown. A future re- lease of the CBHI CANS application will permit a person to choose more than one race and ethnicity. In addition to the race categories listed a complete listing of Race, Ethnic- ity and Language Options can be found on the CBHI CANS web site at , click on Info for Providers, then click on CANS Tools.
How to Access the CANS Distance Learning Course After Certification About the CANS in Massachusetts f you are a CANS Certified Assessor, you may at any time access the CANS Distance Learning Training to review the CANS items and complete CANS practice vignettes. Using the Distance Learning Training as a refresher may be helpful if you have not been actively using the CANS and will need to complete a CANS for a new client. It may also be helpful to review this course before taking the recertification exam. Login to the with your existing username and password. “Enrollment” from the CANS Menu on the right. Click on the CANS Distance Learn- ing Training link to access the online training materials. Use the “Next” button at the bottom of each page to navigate through the Distance Learning Training in se- quence, or use the course menu on the right to jump directly to a specific area of interest. For more information and to use the en- hanced Distance Learning Program, Program at . Interactive Tutorials for CBHI CANS Application Users id you know tutorials for CBHI CANS application are available on the CBHI web site? These interactive sessions provide easy to follow step-by-step directions for Certi- fied Assessors and Data Entry Operators who use the CBHI CANS application on the Virtual Gateway. The tutorials can be found on the CBHI web site at . Click CBHI and go to “Information for Providers”, then click on “CANS Tools”. The tutorials can be found under “Information on Using CANS Application on the Virtual Gateway”. CANSCalendar In-person UMMS CANS Training Schedule The following training session dates and locations are open to the public. Please visit the UMMS CANS training site to register: May 11, 2010 — Boston Transportation Building June 17, 2010 — UMass Medical School, Grafton CANS Technical Assistance Conference Call Schedule: May 14, 2010 12:00 - 1:00 July 9, 2010 12:00 - 1:00 CANS Community of Practice Schedule: (Proposed Dates) May 19, 2010 June 23, 2010 July 21, 2010 Confirm participation by email to: