Cultural Competency and Health Equity
Discover educational resources to help you deliver culturally responsive care to specific communities.
Cultural Competency in Health Care
Cultural competency in health care is the ability to recognize and understand our own as well as our patient’s cultural distinctions, address unconscious/conscious bias, and adapt care delivery and services to meet individuals’ unique social, cultural, and language needs. Gaining skills in cultural competency is a lifelong journey and applying these skills plays a critical role in reducing health disparities.
Health Disparities Definition and Resources
Health disparities are differences in health status between segments of the population due to greater social and economic barriers to health. Health disparities are prevalent and, as the United States population becomes increasingly diverse, they are likely to increase if not adequately addressed.
Learn about health disparities and find resources to address health disparities among your patients.
What are health disparities?
The Healthy People 2030 has developed the following definition of health disparities: "a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage."1
Health disparities negatively affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater social and/or economic obstacles to health and/or a clean environment. Such disparities are not new to health care, but COVID-19 exacerbates existing disparities in many populations.
Health disparities can impact the following:
- Age
- Characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion
- Cognitive, sensory, or physical disability
- Gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation
- Geographic location
- Mental health
- Racial or ethnic groups
- Religious or spiritual groups
- Socioeconomic status
- 1
"Health Equity in Healthy People 2030," Healthy People 2030, https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/health-equity-healthy-people-2030, accessed June 3, 2024
Health Disparities Educational Resources
#123forEquity Pledge to Act Campaign: Addressing Health Disparities Within Hospital Systems
Cigna Healthcare℠ strongly supports the American Hospital Association’s #123forEquity Pledge to Act Campaign that urges hospital and health system leaders to develop and implement strategies to:
- Increase cultural competency training to ensure culturally responsive care
- Advance inclusion in leadership and governance to reflect the communities served
- Improve and strengthen community partnerships
Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health are factors such as where we live, work, and play and they impact health disparities. Identifying and addressing social determinants of health is critical in reducing health disparities and delivering culturally responsive care.
Cigna Healthcare is committed to building a trusted network of providers so we may connect our customers, your patients, with truly personal health care. To further demonstrate this commitment, we have created and curated cultural competency resources specifically for providers and office staff participating in our network.
Learn more about social determinants of health
Social Determinants of Health Resources
Addressing Social Determinants of Health Within Your Practice [PDF]
Cigna Healthcare Community Resources - FindHelp.com (previously known as Aunt Bertha) [PDF]
