Developing a Self-Assessment Toolfor Culturally - Office of Minority ...

LPHAs include: adult and child immunizations, communicable disease control,community assessment, community outreach and education, environmental health services,epidemiology and surveillance, food safety, health education, restaurant inspections, andtuberculosis testing. In addition, some LPHAs provide primary care or direct medical careservices, including treatment for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease ordiabetes, behavioral or mental health services, programs for homeless, and veterinarypublic health (NACCHO 2001).LPHAs serve as safety net providers, ensuring health care for vulnerable and at-riskpopulations. Populations served by LPHAs include the uninsured, racial and ethnicminorities, persons with LEP, those with low income, the homeless, migrant workers, andothers with unique or special language and cultural needs (Brown et al. 2000; KaiserCommission on Medicaid and the Uninsured 2000; Ku and Freilich 2001). Thecharacteristics of the at-risk populations served by LPHAs make the provision of CLASimperative. For instance, a study found that more than 50 percent of low-incomeimmigrants have no health insurance and rely on LPHAs for care (Ku and Freilich 2001),and racial and ethnic minorities are twice as likely to be uninsured as whites (Collins et al.2002; Commonwealth Fund 1996). In addition, studies show that racial and ethnicminorities are less likely to have a regular primary care provider or health insurance(Collins et al. 2002), thus having to rely on health services provided by LPHAs. Also,recent immigrants with LEP who are unfamiliar with the U.S. health care system are, forthe most part, not eligible for Medicaid or Medicare, which makes them more likely to beuninsured, to lack a regular provider, and to seek health care at a LPHA (CommonwealthFund 1994, 1996).1.3 LPHAs’ PROVISION OF CLAS COULD LEAD TO IMPROVED HEALTHOUTCOMESLPHAs directly impact the health of individuals and empower communities to achievebetter health by providing essential health services within jurisdictions (NACCHO 2001).The ultimate goals of providing CLAS are to make the local public health care system moreresponsive to the needs of all clients and to increase their satisfaction with and access tohigh quality health care; decrease inappropriate differences in the characteristics andquality of care provided; and close the gaps in health status across diverse populationswithin the country (Anderson et al. 2003). The ten essential public health services listedCOSMOS Corporation, December 2003 1-4