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Cultural Competence
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 Video:
Donna Hays
40sec (.asf) |
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The Culture of Family Planning
> 4. Cultural Competence
4. Cultural Competence
 Integral to what we do is being respectful of cultures.
- Janet Kusch, Executive Director of Options in Reproductive Care, La Crosse, WI
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Nothing is more personal or more influenced by one’s own beliefs and values than the choice of one’s own reproductive healthcare. Family planning is not only about the procedural methods, but it is also about the cultural values each individual embraces when making decision about their reproductive care. Family planning professionals recognize and respect that their client’s background shapes their family planning decisions. Working together family planning professionals help clients create an all-encompassing program of healthcare that is sensitive and confidential to the needs of the client’s cultural background.
Today our educational institutions are including more cultural ideology into training. We know family planning means something different to different groups of people.
- Quincy Tharps, Assistant Professor, UW-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
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Dynamics vary greatly from one culture to another. Family planning professionals acknowledge this. They collaborate with each client helping to insure that proper and correct choices are made with respect to their culture. Family planning clinics provide interpreters, educational materials in diverse languages, signage, and use of visual prompts when clients are in need of these services.
It is important for healthcare to provide excellent customer service regardless of what population you are working with. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. We really need to be thinking of why are we here. We are here to serve our clients.
- Maria Barker, Multicultural Programs Manager-Community Education Department, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin
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Establishing a trusting relationship with healthcare professionals can be more difficult for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) individuals. Studies have shown that lesbians report a greater reluctance than other women to seek care, particularly preventive services and might be less likely than other women to seek testing for STDs, even if their history shows them to be at greater risk.12 Family planning is not just for heterosexuals; it is an inclusive community that guarantees sexual healthcare for all sexual orientations. Family planning practitioners talk openly about sexuality and its’ many forms. The emphasis is on respecting one’s body and partner regardless of sexual orientation.For More Information
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