Check Out the New CLAS Standards

The enhanced National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care, plus The Blueprint — an accompanying guidance document — are now available at ThinkCulturalHealth.hhs.gov. Register on the site to gain access to these government-issued standards.

The CLAS Standards are intended to advance health equity, improve quality, and help eliminate health care disparities. They establish a blueprint for organizations to deliver effective, understandable, and respectful services at every point of patient contact.

The Blueprint describes each Standard's purpose and components. In addition, it provides basic strategies for implementation and a list of resources that offer additional information and guidance.

You can find a nutshell version of the current standards here. In addition, a summary of the CLAS Standards intent, history and evoliution is available here.

Of note to Exchange members is the insistence within the standards that health care organizations provide easy-to-read printed material to clients who speak languages other than English. The Exchange library of translated health education currently holds more than 4700 pieces in the languages most commonly spoken in Minnesota.