This recording is the fourth in the five-part Cultural Activation Training Series hosted by the Program to Achieve Wellness. It expands on part one of the series, focusing on client (or consumer) engagement, provider’s knowledge of the client, and the client’s cultural awareness. This webinar was presented by Lenora Reid-Rose of Coordinated Care Services, Inc. It includes several prompts meant to engage viewers in understanding their cultural identities, which viewers can use to reflect on their responses as the webinar proceeds. 

Delivering health care is a business, and it is essential to acknowledge the goals of the business when caring for patients. An organization must acknowledge the costs of services, whether clients are having their needs met at this cost, and if the organization is meeting the requirements for a grant. Organizations can achieve their goals by satisfying the consumer and delivering services cost-effective services that ensure clients do not face significant financial barriers to care. Cultural activation is the involvement of a consumer’s cultural identity and practices in the treatment process. Cultural activation can increase engagement and participation with care services, leading to sustained positive change. 

Caregivers can support their clients by fostering a shared awareness of the client’s cultural identities, encouraging them to explore and share cultural factors in their life that may be important in receiving treatment. Doing this requires providers to be mindful of their own cultural identities, receptive to the patient, and non-judgmental. Culture can have a positive or negative influence on a patient’s recovery. Examples of positive factors include opportunities for supportive social contact through community traditions, shared skills, and religious practices; family members who reinforce these cultural practices can be sources of essential social support for patients in recovery. By a similar token, care providers who recognize and reinforce these cultural strengths can help sustain a positive treatment relationship with the consumer, improving and sustaining treatment buy-in, and supporting improved outcomes. This webinar proposes several sample questions intended for clients of providers to explore cultural identities that lead to cultural activation. 

Please see the additional resource Patient/Client Education. 

View the other webinars in the Cultural Activation Training Series: Webinar 1 | Webinar 2 | Webinar 3 | Webinar 5. 

This resource was first shared in 2016. 

(Presentation, YouTube)