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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    CLAS

    Information about culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS).

    The National CLAS Standards were developed by the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Office of Minority Health works to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations by making equitable health policies and programs that address injustices.

    All employees in an organization, no matter how big or small, should use CLAS for interactions. CLAS helps professionals treat people with respect by considering their culture and language. There are many reasons to promote CLAS at your organization. CLAS improves the quality of care and services. CLAS helps public health and health care professionals build trust, so that they can better understand and meet the needs of people.

    A Story of Why CLAS is Important

    Willie Ramirez was 18 years old and got very sick while he was out with friends. He was taken to the hospital. At the hospital, there was no trained interpreter, which led to Willie and his family not understanding the medical staff.  The impact of the language barrier and lack of interpreter to translate between Willie's family and the medical staff was so severe that Willie’s care was affected. He became quadriplegic, which means he was not able to move his arms or legs. A lawsuit resulted that awarded Willie with $71 million, assuming he lives to the age of 74.

    CLAS Taskforce

    The Office of Health Equity (OHE) holds a monthly Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) taskforce. The CLAS taskforce is a meeting to discuss topics related to the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services. The OHE helped  create the CLAS Toolkit for both inside and outside the department. Additionally, the OHE supports using CLAS language in all Commonwealth documents with vendors. 

    Below are a number of helpful resources to guide your efforts with CLAS:

    Language Access Coordination

    Language Access Coordination helps to close gaps in care by making sure that people who don’t speak English well (Limited English Proficiency; LEP) can understand important health information and use health services. In the United States, approximately 68 million people speak a language other than English at home, and of those, 8.2%—many from communities of color and lower-income groups—have a limited understanding of English. Language barriers can make it hard for patients and healthcare workers to communicate clearly, which is important for trust, understanding medical conditions, and providing treatment. As a result, these people often face obstacles while trying to receive healthcare services. Patients with limited English skills could find it hard to get fair treatment without accessible language services, which could lead to poor health outcomes.

    The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and the OHE support language access to advance health equity. This is done by finding and fixing problems that communities may face due to government policies and programs. Under federal mandates, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Affordable Care Act, the OHE provides language access trainings, educations, and resources to make sure staff members within the DOH can support all individuals, no matter their language skills, and ensure they have access to health programs and services through the following:

    • Working together in providing interpretation and translation services through certified vendors.
    • Training staff to be know about different cultures and languages.
    • Removing language-based obstacles.

    Language Access Coordination is important for creating equal opportunities and addressing the unique needs of people who don’t speak English, leading to better health outcomes across Pennsylvania’s diverse communities.

    For more information on CLAS and language access coordination, contact Samuel Elenwo at selenwo@pa.gov.