Standards, guidelines and cultural competencies for managed behavioral health services for racial/ethnic populations were produced by four national panels with the recognition that in order to provide individualized mental health services, consumers should be viewed within the context of their cultural group and their experiences from being part of that group.
These cultural competence documents were produced under the auspices of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Mental Health Program and the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and are part of the CMHS Managed Care Workforce Training Initiative of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. WICHE considers these reports final documents but because CMHS/SAMHSA has yet to finish its approval process, we have been asked to label them as "DRAFTS". They are also the most up-to-date versions of the Standards.
These documents, now available through this Website, are listed below beginning with a core set of standards for delivering culturally competent services across all four racial/ethnic groups. The core standards are followed by ethnic-specific system and clinical standards and guidelines for African Americans, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans.
The ongoing participation of members of the four Racial/Ethnic Panels in the implementation process of the Cultural Competence Standards is necessary to maintain the integrity of the goals, objectives and "best practices" that are inherent in the Standards and to promote total quality management standards during the implementation process within various organizations. To request technical assistance on activities related to the Standards, contact Panel Co-chairs for each of the above groups. Contact information is available here.
For more information email MentalHealth@wiche.edu
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