Cultural Mediation Among Individuals, Communities, and Health and Social Service Systems

Abstract

Cultural mediation among individuals, communities, and health and social service systems addresses how Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a role in informing individuals’ experiences and interactions with health and social service systems. This role includes educating individuals and communities about how to use health and social service systems, educating systems about community perspectives and cultural norms, and building health literacy and cross-cultural communication. In this chapter, two teams demonstrate how CHWs serve as cultural “brokers” or intermediaries who understand and are sensitive to both sides in cross-cultural encounters. The first team describes clinic-based CHW/promotores as cultural liaisons between healthcare providers and patients and how they are models for cultural humility to clinical staff in the inland region of Southern California. CHW/Ps in a clinical team have much to teach healthcare staff due to their cultural affinity and shared lived experience with the patient. The second team summarizes best practices and challenges across five different Boston-area CHW behavioral health prevention and promotion projects (healthcare and community-based) using a dual-generation approach in pediatric settings to highlight the importance of CHWs as cultural mediators. CHWs fill an important role in mediating how communities understand behavioral health in a culturally relevant manner and assist clients in obtaining needed behavioral health services.

Authorship is organized alphabetically in ascending order by surname.