Cultural Competence in Healthcare

One of the core values at Apicha Community Health Center is cultural competence in healthcare.

Furthermore, Apicha CHC promises to always provide compassionate, comprehensive, and culturally competent healthcare and wellness services to underserved people living in New York City.

What does cultural competence in healthcare mean, and how do you know if your doctor is "culturally competent"?Below are some answers to these questions:

What Does Cultural Competence in Healthcare Mean?

Cultural competence means having the necessary skills and knowledge to provide good care for diverse communities. It means including people's behaviors, values, and cultural backgrounds in their health needs.

Why Should I Care About Cultural Competence in My Healthcare Provider?

If your doctors know what your life is like, they know what questions to ask and what approach to take to make sure you stay healthy. A culturally competent doctor acknowledges and respects your background and who you are. When an entire office takes the time to understand the different parts of your life, coming to the doctor stops being something you avoid.

Have you been looking for a provider that understands your cultural needs? Request an appointment

Does Your Doctor Take Time to Translate and Understand?

Not all patients speak English at Apicha Community Health Center. While an interpreter can be helpful, certain information could still get lost in translation. Friends and family members of patients may also be able to provide insights and assist with communication.

Even for those patients who speak fluent English, medical terms are often out of the average person’s vocabulary. Because of this, you should leave your doctor's appointment feeling like everything about your health, treatments, and medications was explained in a way you understand.

In addition to language, it is also important to understand different backgrounds because certain practices and medications might not mean the same in other cultures as they do in the US.

How Does Apicha Chc Practice Cultural Competence?

Apicha CHC is proud of our cultural competency for Asians and Pacific Islanders, the LGBT Community, and individuals living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Doctors and nurses at Apicha CHC take time to get to know the person and his/her background. For example, we ask our patients about their preferred pronouns and name, and we strive to have in-house staff that have the ability to interpret healthcare to patients who do not necessarily speak English. Apicha CHC staff is trained to be understanding of people's backgrounds and lifestyles, and healthcare programs are designed to be sensitive to the unique cultural needs of all our communities.

You can visit our NYC Medical Clinic, located in Lower Manhattan, to experience Apicha CHC’s culturally competent services and staff firsthand.