Office
of Multicultural Health
The Massachusetts Office of Multicultural Health (OMH) promotes the health and well being of ethnic minority communities throughout the Commonwealth by increasing the Department of Public Health's capacity to respond effectively to the critical public health needs of these communities.
Because racial and ethnic minority groups currently experiencing poorer health status are expected to grow in population, while other groups will decline, the future health of Massachusetts as a whole will be influenced substantially by our success in improving the health of these racial and ethnic minorities.
MDPH Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Initiative
When releasing their report “Unequal Treatment” the Institutes of Medicine concluded “race disparities in health outcomes persist even after the significant efforts of multiple programs and accounting for risks such as low income, poor education and cigarette smoking.” The national Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards, developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2000, offer a framework to address the structural, clinical, and organizational barriers that contribute to health disparities. In 2005, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Office of Multicultural Health was awarded the federal “State Partnership Grant to Improve Minority Health”. The goal of this grant is to develop and implement Massachusetts standards consistent with the national CLAS Standards throughout the Department’s procurement and internal operations. MDPH would be among the first public health agencies in the country to systematically apply these standards as a tool to eliminate racial, ethnic, and linguistic health disparities. If you have questions, please contact Christine Haley Medina, CLAS Coordinator at Christine.Haley.Medina@state.ma.us.
Additional information about the CLAS Initiative
Translation Guidelines
The OMH coordinates the translation of written materials department wide. To assist DPH staff with translating documents, the Office has developed the following guidance. Although specific to MDPH and its programs, they may be helpful to other programs/agencies when engaging a translator.
This guidance is specific to health-related documents. OMH has divided the process into three broad steps with worksheets offered at each step. The broad steps are:
- Preparation of the document
- Translation process
- Revision/Editing of the final translated document
The following five distinct documents are:
- Translation Guidelines : the complete guidance document. (PDF) | (Word)
- Translation Request Worksheet : critical aspects of the translation to prepare you to engage the translator. (PDF) | (Word)
- Translation Checklist : steps of the translation are completed. (PDF) | (Word)
- Translation Quality Assurance Form : quality feedback. (PDF) | (Word)
- In-house Translation Review : peer review instructions. (PDF) | (Word)
OMH has developed the following presentation to facilitate the implementation of the Translation Guidelines.
This presentation is designed to highlight the importance of the process and its steps, which are described in more detail and illustrated with real-life experiences.
If you have questions, please contact Jordan Coriza, Coordinator of Interpreter and Translation Services at Jordan.coriza@state.ma.us.
Translation Glossaries
The Office of Multicultural Health maintains three general glossaries in Spanish and Portuguese of terms commonly used by DPH programs. Please utilize these lists when translating documents for the Department of Public Health.
OMH will periodically update these glossaries. We welcome additional entries. Please e-mail your suggestions to Jordan Coriza at Jordan.coriza@state.ma.us
First Language is Not English (FLNE) and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Students in Massachusetts Public Schools
The Third New England Regional Conference : Eliminating
Health Disparities by 2010 Tools, Skills and Networks for Action
Hospital-Based Interpreter Services
"I
Speak Cards" (PDF) from the Department of Justice
Refugee Health Assessment:
A Guide for Health Care Clinicians
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