CLAS
Executive Summary:
The national standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) were developed by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health in 20xx. The standards serve as a guide for all agencies striving to improve healthcare quality and health equity. There are a total of fifteen standards, spanning four topic areas: 1) principal standard, 2) governance, leadership and workforce, 3) communication and language assistance and 4) engagement, continuous improvement and accountability.
Staff at the Women’s Resource Center directly impact the health and wellbeing of Newport and Bristol county residents through assisting domestic violence victims in court, providing counseling services, answering hotline calls, assisting DHS clients through the Family Violence Options Advocacy Program, working with local law enforcement and implementing community domestic violence intervention efforts. Thus, as the local and national geographic shifts, following the CLAS standards is a priority of the Women’s Resource Center.
In 2014 all staff at the Women’s Resource Center collectively completed a self-assessment tool (see Appendix A). From this tool we were able to ascertain our greatest areas of improvement. Collectively, the staff agreed that we should focus on activities surrounding standards three, six, nine and ten. Consequently, a subcommittee was formed to develop a five year plan that strives to improve the effectiveness of the services provided.
Communications:
Any questions or comments can be sent to CLAS@wrcnbc.org. When an email requires the response of the entire committee then an official response will be made after the next scheduled meeting.
Learn more about the Department of Health standards for CLAS.