Culturally Responsive Public Health Practice
I received in my mailbox a flyer from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, advertising the 2007 Summer Public Health Institute. Ordinarily I wouldn’t have paid much attention, but the title caught my eye: “Culturally Responsive Public Health Practice�. The courses are on
- American Indian/Alaska Native Health Care Issues
- Community-Based Participatory Research
- Community Health Data - Using Data From a Community Perspective
- Community Organizing and Advocacy: Building Political Power and Moving People to Action
- Culturally Based Community Health Immersion: Hispanic Community Focus
- Culturally Responsive Leadership and Management
- Risk Communication for Underserved and Limited English-Speaking Populations
- War and Public Health
The purposes of these courses, according to the flyer, are to
- Improve the diversity and quality of the public health work force
- Develop the skills of working public health professionals in the delivery of culturally responsive services
- Encourage the enrollment of individuals from under-served and under-represented communities into educational and career opportunities for public health
This is a clear recognition that, unless the cultures of communities are taken into account and members of those communities are enlisted as partners, public health efforts will fall far short of their goals.