Resource Details

Promising Practices Report: Community Outreach and Education Efforts of the Metta Health Center Program Within the Lowell Community Health Center

Year Developed: 2017

Resource Type: Publication.

Primary Audience: C-Suite (CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, COOs, CMOs, etc)

Language(s): English

Developed by: Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (See other resources developed by this organization).

Resource Summary: This report describes the development of a culturally tailored outreach and health education program through the use of radio and public access TV programming by the Metta Health Center Program in Lowell, MA. The health center has been recognized by the Office of Minority health as an exemplar provider of culturally competent care in meeting and exceeding all the standards set forth in the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health Care.

Resource Details: This reports describes the enabling services (ES) Lowell Community Health Center provides such as in-language community outreach and education, weekly TV show and radio segments, and other culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) that altogether have vastly increased patients' attendance, health education awareness, and advocacy. Recognizing that language and cultural differences are barriers to accessing health care services for the Cambodian and other Southeast Asian residents, Lowell Community Health Center established the Metta Health Center (MHC) program in 2000 to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care. Critical components such as community outreach and health education have been key activities of the program since its inception and are important contributors to its success.

Resource Topic: Special and Vulnerable Populations, Value-Based Health Care Transformation

Resource Subtopic: Policy and Advocacy, Programs and Services.

Keywords: Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AA&NHPIs), Communication, Transparency, and Outreach, Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) , Non-Clinical Services, Outreach.