Palm Beach County Medical Society

 Language Access: Health Literacy

During the past couple of decades, there have been major changes in the demographics in Palm Beach County. Most notably, there have been significant increases among racial and ethnic minorities. With the changing demographics of our population come some challenges for the health care community.   With significant and even growing disparities in health status and outcomes for certain racial and ethnic populations, there are some very real opportunities for health care providers. In addition to the fact that every culture and subculture has its own values, beliefs and practices around health care, there may also be language barriers. These factors can hinder the ability of the provider and patient to effectively communicate with one another and clear communication is, of course, essential to providing quality health care.

The Palm Beach County Medical Society, through the support of Allegany Franciscan Ministries, has launched the Cultural Competency Initiative (CCI) with the intent of cultivating cultural competency, improving language access, and promoting health literacy in the community.

This webpage is a part of those efforts. Providers, patients, and other stakeholders can access information, practical tools, and resources that should prove useful in the quest toward cultural proficiency in Palm Beach County.