A bill that would fund training for health care providers about working with diverse populations is a good start, but it won’t address all the ways the system leaves some people out, advocate…
A bill awaiting Gov. Jared Polis’ signature that would fund training for Colorado health care providers to help them better work with diverse populations is a good start, but it won’t address all the ways the system leaves some people out, advocates say., which cleared the legislature on the penultimate day of the session, would create a $900,000 grant program to hire contractors to train health care providers on how to provide culturally responsive care to “priority populations.
Interest in how to better serve different patients seems to growing, especially since the pandemic highlighted existing health disparities, said Robert King, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Colorado Access, which manages care for a portion of Colorado’s Medicaid members and purchased some lessons from an outside vendor to offer providers.
“I think a lot of this centers around the issue of communication and understanding,” he said. Cultural responsive care is “a package of tools and sensitivities.”