Cultural Competence Training for Health Professionals (HB 2611), led by communities of color who face significant and persistent health disparities and backed as a top priority by the Oregon Health Equity Alliance (OHEA), passed the Oregon House of Representatives on a 46-12 bipartisan vote.

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Cultural competence is about interacting effectively with people of different backgrounds. Ineffective patient communication leads to misdiagnosis and improper treatments that drive health inequities.

A report released by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland shows that between 2003 and 2006, the expenses linked to health inequities for communities of color cost more than $229 billion. Add the indirect costs for lost work days and reduced productivity, and the total cost for health inequities came to $1.24 trillion nationally.

Read the entire article at The Albany Tribune.