The need for linguistically and culturally competent communication is highlighted in the news.
Richmond Times Dispatch article regarding the CLAS Act Initiative's 
2007 Vision Award from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. The award honors outstanding and creative state public health department initiatives. Read the full story.
The CLAS Act Initiative strives to advance health equity for Virginia's increasingly diverse population by providing and developing resources related to culturally and linguistically appropriate health services (CLAS). Projects within the Initiative include:
The tool is a web-based resource guide designed to help health providers meet the needs of Virginia’s changing demographics.
The Medical Interpreter Training Grants Program provides a training grant for the cost of tuition of a medical interpretation course to a limited number of proficient bilingual individuals in exchange for forty hours of community service at a safety net provider site and willingness to be called on to assist with interpretation in the event of a public health emergency.
The Assessments use Census 2000, Virginia Department of Education, and Virginia Department of Health data to give a comprehensive snap shot of the most commonly spoken language encountered in every health district in Virginia.
The College of William and Mary Student Initiative for Latino Public Health and the Virginia Department of Health's Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy partner to provide a Spanish language public health/informational newsletter that is developed and distributed monthly throughout the Williamsburg area.
Open to the Virginia Department of Health workforce, the Culturally Appropriate Public Health Training Series will provide training on cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill and cultural encounter in the public health setting. The curriculum, developed through the collaboration of VDH with ten Virginia institutions of higher education, is specifically designed for VDH in response to the needs revealed in the Cultural Sensitivity Needs Assessment of March 2007.
For more information about culturally and linguistically appropriate health services, contact CLAS Act Coordinator, Golam Rabbini .