From the Target Center, Tools for the Ryan White Community, BESAFE is a framework that uses culturally pluralistic content and perspectives based on these six core elements: Barriers to Care, Ethics, Sensitivity of the Provider, Assessment, Facts, and Encounters. The BESAFE series includes guides and promising practices that address cultural competency for specific racial/ethnic populations. […]
Local/ cultural adaptations
La’au Lapa’au: Preserving Ancient Hawaiian Healing Practices
Laʻau lapaʻau is a traditional medical practice, as defined by the World Health Organization: “Traditional Medicine is the sum total of the knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment […]
How Culture Impacts Mental Health and Informs Recovery
This video collection examines the intersection of culture and health: the differences in predisposition, stigmas surrounding mental health, barriers to conversations and care, and approaches to wellness and recovery. Links to Resource: Challenges and Rewards of a culturally-informed approach to mental health: Dr. Jessica Dere explains how culture makes a difference when thinking about mental […]
Yup’ik Communities Turn to Indigenous Knowledge to Prevent Risk for Youth Suicide and Alcohol Abuse
Culture plays a substantial role in reducing disparities among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations; experts acknowledge culture’s critical importance to intervention success and sustainability. Yet many questions remain about the mechanisms that produce this protective effect. For more than a decade, researchers at the Center for Alaska Native Health Research have been collaborating […]
Creating Linguistically and Culturally Competent Suicide Prevention Materials
This guide is designed to help public health practitioners produce suicide prevention materials for specific cultural and linguistic communities. Developed in collaboration with the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA), it is based on their work to adapt suicide prevention materials for a variety of cultural and linguistic populations in California. The guide contains key […]
American Indian and Alaska Native Culture Card
This guide enhances cultural competence when serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities. It covers regional differences, cultural customs, spirituality, communication styles, the role of veterans and older adults, and health disparities. Population of Focus: American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Links to Resource: View the guide from SAMHSA (pdf) View a related factsheet: Understanding Historical […]