California Providers Receive Cultural Competence Education through Partnership between Health Net and Physicians for a Healthy C
LOS ANGELES , May 04 /Businesswire/ - Health Net, in partnership with Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC), announced today the launch of a seven-part cultural competency education series for providers in California. The comprehensive series focuses on educating local providers on how to deliver culturally competent care in diverse communities. The series will better equip providers to overcome health disparities that are driven by:
- Language barriers
- Misunderstanding of cultural based concepts and practices
- Unconscious bias in healthcare setting
- Lower levels of health literacy
“A key component to new care delivery models is the ability to engage and educate patients about their health status,” says Dr. Ramiro Zuniga, Vice President, Medical Director of Medi-Cal at Health Net. “While doing this is challenging with all patients, for diverse patient populations it can be even more difficult due to language barriers, cultural differences in communication styles and other factors.”
“Today’s coronavirus pandemic is continuing to expose the longstanding health disparities that exist among communities of color,” said Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, MD, PHD of Physicians for a Healthy California. “Research shows that Black and Brown patients often have their pain and health concerns dismissed due to implicit and explicit biases. To address these health disparities, we must continue to train our providers to ensure that they understand the physical, mental and cultural needs of our diverse population.”
The Health Net-PHC cultural competency provider education series, developed by Health Net’s Health Disparity team, will be released monthly beginning with the topic of cultural awareness. Subsequent months will include topics with a cultural focus on:
- Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
- Childhood immunizations
- Women’s preventive care
- Diabetes
- Developmental and Physical disabilities
- BIPOC and LGBTQ healthcare
“We’re dedicated to the transformation of the communities we serve, one person at a time,” said Dr. Zuniga. “That transformation happens with a dedicated focus on improving quality outcomes year-over-year. However, our work never stops. Health Net remains committed to driving quality care and health equity even higher across the state. This new partnership is just one aspect of that broader goal.”
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About Health Net
At Health Net, we believe every person deserves a safety net for their health, regardless of age, income, employment status or current state of health. Founded 40 years ago, we remain dedicated to transforming the health of our community, one person at a time. Today, Health Net’s 3,000 employees and 85,000 network providers serve more than 3 million members. That’s nearly 1 in 12 Californians. We provide health plans for individuals, families, businesses of every size, people with Medicare and people with Medi-Cal — Coverage for Every Stage of LifeTM. Health Net also offer access to substance abuse programs, behavioral health services, employee assistance programs and managed health care products related to prescription drugs. We offer these health plans and services through Health Net, LLC and its subsidiaries: Health Net of California, Inc., Health Net Life Insurance Company and Health Net Community Solutions, Inc. These entities are wholly owned subsidiaries of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), a Fortune 100 company providing health coverage to more than 20 million Americans. For more information, visit HealthNet.com.
About Physicians for a Health California
Physicians for a Healthy California (PHC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit corporation founded in 1963 by the California Medical Association. PHC is dedicated to improving community health, growing a diverse physician workforce and promoting health equity. For nearly 60 years, PHC has worked to improve public health, provide clinical practice support and improvement and address the social determinants of health and disparities in access to care. For more information about PHC and its programs, visit PHCdocs.org.
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