AR SB958

Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor and House Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor shall study Arkansas's increasing diversity and identify best practice approaches to cultural competency training for state employees.

Cultural competency is defined as including four components: awareness of one's own cultural worldview, attitude towards cultural differences, knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, and cross-cultural skills.

Training programs shall address cross-cultural communication, culturally and linguistically appropriate policy considerations, culturally competent service delivery, health disparities, equity factors in health systems, and culturally and linguistically competent care.

Training shall be designed for electronic delivery and through continuing education and distance-education models to maximize replication and minimize expenses for state employees and institutions.

Committees shall make recommendations on informing health care and public health professionals about National Standards on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services and report final findings to the Governor, Legislative Council, and Arkansas Minority Health Commission by December 1, 2012.