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EXPERTISE

Cultural Competence
Health Communications
Health Information Technology
Homeless Veterans
International Health
Program and Project Management
Research & Analysis
Strategic Planning & Performance Measurement
Rural Veterans Health
Women Veterans Health

 

In January 2010, The Joint Commission released a set of standards aimed at advancing effective communication, cultural competence, and patient- and family-centered care practices in hospitals.  The standards were published in the 2011 Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals: The Official Handbook and it is expected that compliance with the standards will be included in accreditation decisions as early as January 2012.  With these developments, cultural competence in health care is ceasing to be simply an aspirational goal for meeting patient needs and, instead, becoming a mission-critical business imperative.  As such, seeking to achieve cultural competence can no longer be understood as simply an effort to fulfill good intentions, but rather as the pursuit of better system, organizational, and individual performance.

Leadership & Experience
Atlas executives and consultants have led and participated in cultural competence assessments, training, research, seminars, and symposia spanning the public and private sectors, from matters of health care to national security.  We are recognized thought leaders in the intricacies of the Veterans and Military Health Systems, with specialized expertise in women’s and rural health, and possess the ability to leverage a deep reservoir of health disparities consulting and research experience. 

The Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center engaged Atlas to provide planning, content development, and logistical support in the production of its Cultural Competence Grand Rounds Series.  These events encourage the spirited exchange of ideas, promotion of community, and the provision of culturally competent, patient-centered care. 

In addition, Atlas also played an integral role in the Sioux Falls VA Medical Center Patient-Centered Care Innovations project, conducting a baseline assessment of cultural sensitivity, and making recommendations to address organizational areas of strength and areas that required improvement relating to changes in policy, patient assessments, and staff training. 

The Atlas Cultural Competence Strategic Advisory Group is a brain trust of physician executives, researchers, public and business administrators, sociologists, and policy analysts who provide strategic vision for the firm’s cultural competence consulting engagements.  With reach-back capability to leading academic institutions and health care organizations, and expansive knowledge of the cultures of the Veterans and Military Health Systems, Atlas is recognized as a trusted partner for delivering customized cultural competence solutions.

Services & Products
• Baseline assessments
• Training and professional development
• Policy and procedure review
• Business and health care delivery system redesign
• Research, studies, and reports
• Presentations and keynotes
• Communications and outreach planning

 

Contact
Celia Szelwach, DBA, CCEP
Program Manager for Women’s Health
cszelwach@atlasresearch.us
828.242.4423