Is your organization meeting the Principal Standard for CLAS?
Standard 1 | Provide effective, equitable, understandable, respectful, and quality care and services that are responsive to diverse cultural health beliefs and practices, preferred languages, health literacy and other communication needs.
Purpose | Standard 1 is known as the Principal Standard. This frames the essential goal of all the CLAS Standards. Health and healthcare organizations should ensure that individuals receive effective, equitable, understandable, respectful and quality care and services provided in a manner that aligns with their own cultural health beliefs, practices, preferred languages, health literacy and other communication needs.
Strategies for Achievement | If the other 14 Standards, which are the fundamental building blocks of CLAS, are adopted, implemented, and maintained, then the Principal Standard will be achieved. For additional information, see “The Blueprint” an implementation guide to help you advance and sustain CLAS within your organization.
The Checklist | Work with your team to complete this Implementation Checklist for the National CLAS Standards to find areas of opportunity and create your CLAS Action Worksheet
The Great Plains QIN team developed a simple video to outline the Principal Standard. If you have questions or would like technical assistance on how to implement the National CLAS Standards, contact a member of the Great Plains QIN Team.
Information adapted from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Healthcare: Access the Blueprint for Advancing and Sustaining CLAS Policy and Practice.