2017. DHHS. Cultural and Linguistic Competency in Disaster Preparedness and Response Fact Sheet

https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/abc/Pages/linguistic-facts.aspx

Cultural and Linguistic Competency in Disaster Preparedness and Response Fact Sheet

The racial and ethnic diversity of the United States population is increasing, necessitating an inclusive and integrated approach to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery activities. This approach ensures that culturally and linguistically diverse populations are not overlooked or misunderstood, and receive appropriate services as needed.

The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (CLAS Standards), issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health (OMH), offer individuals working in the areas of emergency management, public health, and other health-related organizations a framework for developing and implementing culturally and linguistically competent policies, programs, and services.  Cultural competency is defined as “the ability of individuals and systems to respond respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, classes, races, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and faiths or religions in a manner that recognizes, affirms, and values the worth of individuals, families, tribes, and communities, and protects and preserves the dignity of each.¹

Developing cultural and linguistic competency allows public health officials and emergency managers to better meet the needs of diverse populations and to improve the quality of services and health outcomes during and after a disaster.  To be effective, however, cultural and linguistic competency must be included in all phases of a disaster or public health emergency – preparedness, response, and recovery.

Five Elements of Cultural Competency within Disaster Preparedness

1. Awareness and Acceptance of Difference: Responders and survivors are often different in their racial, ethnic and/or language characteristics.  By improving communication skills as well as becoming self-aware of potential biases and stereotypes, however, public health officials and emergency managers can provide quality care to diverse populations in a culturally competent manner.
   
   
   Example: Not all cultures react to pain in the same way.  While the experience of pain is universal, the way of perceiving, expressing, and controlling pain is one of these learned behaviors, that when manifested, is culture-specific.²  An example of cultural competency is a public health official’s and an emergency manager’s self-awareness of expectations associated with how an individual expresses pain or stress.
2. Awareness of One’s Own Cultural Values: Examining personal prejudices and cultural stereotypes by performing an individual self-assessment can help public health officials and emergency managers become aware of their own cultural values and biases.
   
   Example: The Valuing Diversity and Self-Assessment questionnaire³ is a widely used self-assessment that allows individuals to identify their own strengths and weaknesses when working with or treating populations with backgrounds different than their own.  For example, immigrant and refugee populations may speak a language other than English, have different cultural norms, come from a different socioeconomic background, and have a different style of dress.  Recognizing and respecting cultural differences and understanding your own biases and beliefs are critical to effectively serving or assisting culturally diverse populations during or after an emergency.
3. Understanding and Managing the “Dynamics of Difference”: This refers to the various ways cultures express and interpret information.  Taking an individual’s medical history is a systematic way to collect both medical and cultural information. This information promotes cultural understanding and improves the quality of services provided to the individual.
   
   Example: The RESPOND tool⁴ succinctly defines the key components of taking the medical history of culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

   R – Build rapport
   E – Explain your purpose
   S – Identify services & elaborate
   P – Encourage individuals to be proactive
   O – Offer assistance for individuals to identify their needs
   N – Negotiate what is normal to help identify needs
   D – Determine next steps

4. Development of Cultural Knowledge: Cultivating a working knowledge of different health and illness related beliefs, customs, and treatments of cultural groups in your local area can better equip public health officials and emergency managers with the information necessary to provide timely and appropriate services.
   
   
   Example: Research illustrates that racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately vulnerable to, and impacted by, disasters.⁵,⁶,⁷  Minority communities also recover more slowly after disasters because they are more likely to experience cultural barriers and receive inaccurate or incomplete information as a result of cultural differences or language barriers.
5. Ability to Adapt Activities to Fit Different Cultural Contexts: This concept refers to the ability to adapt and as appropriate, to modify, the services offered to fit the cultural context of the patients and communities you are serving.
   
   Example: Increasingly, the role of disaster personnel includes involvement with interpreters during the triadic interview.⁸ A triadic interview is a process in which people with limited English proficiency can communicate their needs in the language of their choice and the interpreter relays this information to the disaster personnel.  This process fosters mutual understanding and builds trust between the survivor and the responder.

Need more information? 
OMH’s Think Cultural Health initiative provides resources pertinent to emergency management and the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services.  The Health Care Language Services Implementation Guide and the Cultural Competency Curriculum for Disaster Preparedness and Crisis Response provide valuable tools for the implementation of language access services as well as skill-building for public health and emergency managers when working with interpreters and translation organizations.

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¹ National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center. Cultural Competency. Child Welfare Information Gateway, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2009. Accessed 12 March 2015. 

² Good MJD, Brodwin PE, Good BJ, Kleinman A, editors. Pain as a Human Experience: An Anthropological Perspective. Berkley: University of California Press; 1992.

³ Rasmussen, Tina. The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) Trainer’s Sourcebook on Diversity. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 1995.

⁴ For more information about the RESPOND tool, review the Cultural Competency Curriculum for Disaster Preparedness and Crisis Response.

⁵ Davidson, TM, Price M, McCauley JL, Ruggiero KJ, Disaster Impact Across Cultural Groups: Comparison of Whites, African Americans, and Latinos. American Journal of Community Psychology. 2013;52(1-2):97-105.

⁶ Bethel, JW, Burke, SC, Britt, AF. Disparity in disaster preparedness between racial/ethnic groups. Disaster Health. 2013;1(2):110-16.

⁷ Collins, TW, Jimenez AM, Grineski SE. Hispanic Health Disparities After a Flood Disaster: Results of a Population-Based Survey of Individuals Experiencing Home Site Damage in El Paso (Texas, USA). Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. 2013;15(2):415-26.

⁸ For more information about the triadic interview, review the Cultural Competency Curriculum for Disaster Preparedness and Crisis Response.

What if your community had a Volunteer Fire/EMS Stations? Job Opportunities.

Job Opportunities:  Firefighter.  Prince George's County Maryland

• What if your community had a volunteer Fire/EMS Station composed of members (high school to adult) of your community? 

• Would they be qualified?  

• Anywhere in the U.S.?

• Is DHS\FEMA funding available to establish a volunteer Fire\EMS Station?  

Check the BEMA International web\blog page, and previous posting on 2017 Pre-Disaster funding.

BEMA International

                    Click here for additional information

2017 August-November DHS\FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Funding

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) grant program for fiscal year 2017 has been released!

The PDM program is a yearly, competitive grant program that is authorized by Congress and administered by FEMA. 

The total amount of funds to be distributed under FY17 PDM is $90,000,000.  FEMA’s grant priorities change on a yearly basis; this year FEMA is prioritizing multi-state/tribal mitigation activities and planning activities.


Federally recognized Native American Tribal governments
Each State, Territory, Commonwealth, or Native American Tribal government shall designate one agency to serve as the applicant for PDM funding. Each applicant’s designated agency may submit only one PDM grant application to FEMA. Applications under which two or more entities would carry out the award are eligible, such as a multi-state or multi-tribal initiative; however, only one entity may be the applicant with primary responsibility for carrying out the award.

Local governments, including cities, townships, counties, special district governments, and Native American tribal organizations are considered subapplicants and must submit subapplications for mitigation planning and projects to their State/Territory applicant agency. Contact information for the State Hazard Mitigation Officers (SHMOs) is provided on the FEMA website: http://www.fema.gov/state-hazard-mitigation-officers.

Why the push for Youth Preparedness in Conjunction with Hip Hop Architecture?

Add CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training for students at the middle and high school level in our urban and rural communities as an addition to your nonprofit, and other programs in our cities for at risk and other youth programs.

Why the push for future leaders in our urban\rural communities involvement with CERT in conjunction with the spread of Hip-Hip Architecture and other youth programs?

            To be at the table.

https://www.ready.gov/youth-preparedness-council

The FEMA Youth Preparedness Council was formed in 2012 to bring together high school-age youth leaders from across the country who are interested and engaged in emergency preparedness. The Council members are selected based on their dedication to public service, community involvement, and their potential to expand their impact as supporters of youth preparedness.

Black Emergency Managers Association            International
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Washington, D.C.  20020
Office:   202-618-9097
bEMA International

     

“Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” ¯ David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas

Cooperation, Collaboration, Communication, Coordination, Community engagement, and  Partnering (C5&P)             A 501 (c) 3 organization.

2017. How Disasters Affect People of Low Socioeconomic Status (SES)

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Supplemental Research Bulletin: How Disasters Affect People of Low Socioeconomic Status (SES) This issue of the Supplemental Research Bulletin explores how people in poverty, with low incomes, and of low SES experience disasters—and, in doing so, aims to help disaster behavioral health officials include and account for these individuals in disaster planning and preparedness, response, and recovery. The issue also features recommendations for policy changes to foster increased resilience for low SES individuals and communities. Download Greater Impact: How Disasters Affect People of Low SES [PDF - 370 KB] Read past issues of the Supplemental Research Bulletin.