NATIONAL CLAS STANDARDS 2

National CLAS Standards Case Study Analysis

The case study looked at is that of California’s White Memorial Medical Centre Family
Practice Residency Program. The program, which began in 1988, meets many of the 15 CLAS
standards. These standards are intended to eliminate disparities in healthcare, improve quality,
and promote health equity (Office of Minority Health (OMH)). Here is a look at the standards it
meets, then ones it fails to meet and measures that can be taken to ensure that it meets all CLAS
standards.
CLAS standards that the case study meets
White Memorial’s Family Practice Residency Program has many aspects that meet the
CLAS standards. For instance, the training of its staff is geared towards meeting the needs of the
local residents thus meeting the first CLAS standard of providing quality care that is responsive
to the needs of the community (Betancourt et al., 2002). It’s use of both minority and non-
minority staff, training staff on cross cultural issues, and continuous evaluation of its program for
cultural competence meets the second, third, and fourth CLAS standards that deal with
governance, workforce and leadership.
The program also meets 9-15 CLAS standards that are focused on community
engagement and continuous improvement (OMH). It achieves these standards by assessing
community needs, partnering with the community in policy formulation, developing culturally
appropriate policies, and carrying out regular assessment of the needs of the community.
CLAS standards that the case study does not meet

NATIONAL CLAS STANDARDS 3
The main CLAS standards that the case study does not meet are those that are focused on
communication and language assistance. These are standards 5-8 (OMH). Despite the fact that
half of the local population speaks Spanish there is no mention of availability of language
assistance programs and print materials made in Spanish to better communicate with the local
population.
How the program can meet all standards
The program can meet all the 15 CLAS standards by providing language assistance
services to members of the population who have problems understanding English. They should
inform the population about availability of such services and make sure that the people
conducting the services are very competent.

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References

Betancourt, J. R., Green, A. R., & Carrillo, J. E. (2002). Cultural competence in health care:
Emerging frameworks and practical approaches(Vol. 576). New York, NY:
Commonwealth Fund, Quality of Care for Underserved Populations.
Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National CLAS
Standards