Minnesota Organizations

The following Minnesota organizations offer information to help health care facilities develop and refine their cultural competence programs.

Cultural competence

These organizations Minnesota organizations and government agencies offer additional information and services on cultural competence and related topics. Learn how what resources may be of value to your organization’s programs.

The Exchange A partnership of Minnesota health care organizations, public health agencies, community groups, and health plans formed to share information and resources about health communication and multilingual health materials. Most Exchange resources and information are freely available. The online library of translated health materials is only available to Exchange members.

Interpreting Stakeholders Group. ISG works to improve the quality and delivery of spoken language and interpreter services in Minnesota, and to promote the professionalization of the interpreting industry as a whole, including developing the Spoken Language Health Care Interpreter Roster. Future efforts will produce a verifiable registry, whereby participants must pass minimum professional qualifications as a term of inclusion.

Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Minority and Multicultural Health. OMMH’s charge is to strengthen the health and wellness of Minnesota’s racial/ethnic, cultural and tribal populations by engaging diverse populations in health systems, mutual learning and actions essential for achieving health parity and optimal wellness. OMMH’s offerings include promotion of racial and ethnic approaches to public health and health care services and facilitation of the Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative.

Minnesota Department of Health, Refugee Health Program. Partners with local health departments, private health care providers, and community organizations to offer health screenings and other health-related support services to refugee populations. Many of its resources, including health education materials, provider resources and health statistics, contain useful information for non-refugee populations.

Minnesota Department of Human Services. DHS ensures basic health care coverage for low-income Minnesotans through three major publicly subsidized health care assistance programs: Medical Assistance (MA) – Minnesota’s Medicaid Program, General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC), and MinnesotaCare.

Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership. MHLP, a program of the Minnesota Health Literacy Council, was formed to help coordinate health literacy efforts across the state. The partnership aims to train health care providers about health literacy, empower patients to ask for clear communication, and share health literacy resources.

Minnesota Institute of Public Health - Chemical Dependency. MIPH pulls together online resources as part of its adopting culturally competent best practices for chemical dependency. Training materials are being developed to share with others working in chemical dependecy treatment who work with communities of color.

MN Community Measurement. MNCM is a multi-stakeholder collaborative in support of the notion that greater transparency in our health care system will lead to better health outcomes for the people of Minnesota. MNCM’s work in health disparities includes production of the 2010 Health Care Disparities Report for Minnesota Health Care Programs (219-page PDF) as well as leadership of the Minnesota effort of the Aligning Forces for Quality initiative. (5-page PDF).

University of Minnesota, Program in Health Disparities Research. This program is dedicated to eliminating health inequities among minority and other underserved populations through interdisciplinary research, education, and community partnership.

Upper Midwest Translator and Interpreters Association UMTIA is dedicated to improving language access and the quality of spoken language services. UMTIA’s core membership is based in Minnesota with additional representation in Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. UMTIA has brought together government and industry leaders through its outreach committee, the Interpreting Stakeholder Group.

Wellshare International (formerly Minnesota International Health Volunteers). Wellshare is a nonprofit in Minneapolis that works to improve the health of women and children. This site offers health education videos, health education materials, research reports, and peer-reviewed journal articles—many of which are focused on the Somali culture.

Multicultural needs

Links to organizations engaged in local and national initiatives that offer information and services in support of topics related to cultural competence (health literacy, refugee health, translated patient materials).

Cultural Diversity Resources. Serving communities in Minnesota: Clay County and the cities of Dilworth and Moorhead; and in North Dakota: Cass County and the cities of Fargo and West Fargo. Its programs are designed to provide resources, solutions, and training regarding diversity issues in employment, education and community services. Services offered include pre-employment training; multi-ethnic and capacity building; intercultural relations; an interpreter resource center; and diversity education and multicultural programs for businesses, educators and community/civic organizations.

The Cultural Wellness Center. This nonprofit is dedicated to promoting an understanding of cultural harmony and social change. It engages people in using culture as a resource for taking responsibility for their own health and well-being. Classes are offered for people of African- and European heritage on such topics as cultural knowledge related to health, illness and healing, self care topics, women’s reproductive health, and senior wellness.

Hennepin County - Office of Multi-Cultural Services. Helps immigrants, Limited English Proficiency, and other diverse populations obtain access to county services such as health care, food support, housing, employment, education, and English language classes. Organizations in Hennepin County may refer patients in need of county services. Learn about these services, service locations, and ethnicities served.

International Institute of Minnesota. This social service agency assists new Americans in their transition to a new homeland by providing critical programs and services for integration into a new community.

Minnesota Center for Health Care Ethics. Provides leadership in health care ethics for its sponsoring organizations, the communities they serve, as well as other local and national organizations and has convened a regional network for organizational ethics resources on such topics as cross-cultural health care ethics, improving relationships between Western health care professionals and Hmong families, improving access to health care.

Portico Healthnet. Facilitates access to government health care safety-net programs. This nonprofit health and human services organization helps uninsured Minnesotans access affordable health coverage and care. Their outreach staff of community health workers speak several languages, and serve as knowledgeable guides and advocates in determining which programs a specific individual and their family members may qualify for. Free resource for all Minnesotans.

If your organization serves Minnesota health care providers with information related to cultural competence or multicultural needs, contact Stratis Health about including your organization on Culture Care Connection. Contact us culturecareconnection@stratishealth.org.