Cultural Competence Training
Challenge
Develop a shared understanding of cultural competency among all Tufts Health Plan staff and promote effective cultural interactions.
Actions
Tufts Health Plan implemented a foundational course on cultural competency, Quality Interaction’s ResCue course, to all staff (approximately 2500) in 2017. In addition, departments with member-facing staff developed customized cultural competency training programs to train approximately 900 member-facing staff on specialized cultural topics. In addition, we have developed a specific Cultural Competency Curriculum for THP’s customer service teams, which is currently being deployed to all divisions’ servicing teams.
Outcomes
By the end of 2017, we will have trained all of our employees on cultural competency concepts, with more intensive training programs on specific topics such as disabilities, LGBTQ health, and unconscious bias for member-facing staff. Early results suggest that this training has improved both staff confidence on the phone and member experience. The target at least 90% completion rate for the foundational courses was exceeded at 96% completion.
Contact
Juan Lopera
Quote
Inclusion has the power to generate opportunities where none previously existed – it can lead to innovation, in business, and in our personal lives. It also can help to lessen or eliminate health or cultural disparities. For those reasons and more it’s why we at Tufts Health Plan are passionate about it. However, we can’t do this work by ourselves. All of us together - through creative partnerships, hard work, and full on community engagement – can make it happen.