Our training

All providers are strongly encouraged to learn more about health equity training. Patient satisfaction and positive health outcomes are directly related to good communication, in a culturally competent manner, between a member and their provider.  

Providers should receive education about important topics, such as:

• The reluctance of certain cultures to discuss mental health issues and the need to proactively encourage members from such backgrounds to seek support 
• The impact that a member’s religious and/or cultural beliefs can have on health outcomes (example: belief in non-traditional healing practices) 
• Health illiteracy and the need to provide patients with understandable health information (example: simple diagrams, communicating in the vernacular, etc.) 
• History of the disability rights movement and the progression of civil rights for people with disabilities 
• Physical and programmatic barriers that impact people with disabilities accessing the right care 

Resources for training and other continuing education

Learn more about health equity by checking out A Physician’s Guide to Culturally Competent Care: a free, continuing education program from the Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You can earn up to 9 hours of credits at no cost.

This program is endorsed by the American Medical Association (AMA), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the American College of Physicians (ACP). 

• Cultural competency provider training presentation (PDF)
• LGBTQ training presentation: Inclusion and Equity for Everyone (PDF)
• More about health equity

Trauma-informed care responds to the impact of trauma through recognition and understanding. We take our members’ safety and ability to make their own choices seriously. 

Want to learn more? Just watch these videos:

Introduction to trauma-informed care 

Trauma-informed care in foster care

You can also check out these resource links:

• Trauma informed care: an overview (PDF)
• Adverse childhood experiences: an overview (ACEs) (PDF)
• Compassion fatigue and caregiver self-care (PDF)
• Engaging and supporting families in care process (PDF)
• Community-based supports for family and caregivers (PDF)
• How foster care and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impact child development (PDF)
• Evidence-based practices for identifying and assessing trauma (PDF)
• Identifying child abuse and neglect (PDF)
• Person-centered integrated care coordination for youth in foster care (PDF)
• Physical trauma during pregnancy (intrauterine assault) and shaken baby syndrome (PDF)
• Law enforcement overview of the special needs of children and youth in foster care (PDF)
• Impact on Ready by 21 — adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and transition-age youth (TAY) (PDF)
• Supporting children in congregate care (PDF)
• Creating a trauma-informed environment in your foster home (PDF)
• Working with children in crisis (PDF)
• Fetal alcohol syndrome and exposure to substances (PDF)

Health literacy is the ability to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Anyone who provides health information and services to others, such as doctors, nurses, dentists and public health workers, need health literacy skills, too. These skills enable them to:

• Communicate about health and health care
• Process what people are explicitly and implicitly asking for
• Understand how to provide useful information and services
• Decide which information and services work best for different situations and people

Want to learn more? Just check out these resources:

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): Learn how to recognize and address the culture, language and health literacy of diverse members and communities.
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): This resource offers a wide range of programs for promoting health literacy skills.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Find information on health literacy, including how to develop materials and activities and other trainings.
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): The tool kit on the page offers tips for making written materials clear, effective and easier to use.

You can find more information about training on the HEDIS page.

Communication between health care professionals can lead to better outcomes for patients. Not sure where to start? You can check out these FAQs about how to discuss sensitive topics. 

• When and how can you share info about patients you’re treating for mental health conditions?
• What are some ways to address challenges caused by social determinants of health?
• Where can you learn more about the HIPAA privacy rule?

• International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET)
• Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)
• Case Management Society of America (CMSA)
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
• Suicide Prevention Resources Center
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
• Think Cultural Health