• Asian Culture Brief: Japan
• Japanese Americans and Self-Care
• Health and Health Care of Japanese American Elders
• Gender Role Development in Japanese Culture
• Japanese Culture: Beliefs and Practices During Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpregnancy
  

* For additional Multicultural Health Generalizations, please visit: http://www.med.umich.edu/multicultural/ccp/bmhg.htm

Regional Alliance for Healthy Schools (RAHS) is a non-profit organization comprised of a team of heath care professionals embracing a diverse group of youth, and engaging them to facilitate healthy living. The diverse nature of the student body, both ethnically and financially, has demanded a flexible approach from staff. The RAHS team includes the staff of Ann Arbor's Health Place 101 serving Scarlet Middle School and Stone High School, and the Wellness Center at East Middle School in Ypsilanti.

RAHS serves students at both middle and high school levels. These students and their families come from diverse backgrounds and often require language support, medical care, and counseling. Services provided by RAHS include immunizations, crisis intervention, health education, routine physical exams for sports/school, and referrals for resources such as food, shelter, financial issues and transportation. The overall success of RAHS efforts is determined by feedback from students and families who enroll in partnering clinics that utilize these services.

By providing support from practitioners, dieticians, and social workers in English and in Spanish, RAHS has helped raise the standard of care that the students receive. The overwhelmingly positive response expressed by students, community members, and staff has shown the importance of considering language and culture in accessing these services. As a result, RAHS has been able to embrace a greater number of students while providing a wide range of services to encourage healthy lifestyles. This in turn, has helped increase enrollment in government funded medical insurance, thus ensuring continuous care.

The team of health care professionals working with RAHS has learned a great deal from the students they serve. Support for these students and the unique backgrounds they bring, has been essential in providing higher quality culturally competent health care. Esther Ayers, a Bilingual Enrollment Specialist for the RAHS team expressed, "The future of our nation is reflected in the diversity of our schools. The need for greater understanding and growth as a global community is evident and encouraged."

Program Pairs Underserved Patients with Culturally Competent Health Workers to Ensure High-Quality Cancer Care
July 25, 2007
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/features/digest.jsp?id=6025&pid=1142&c=EMC-ND142

USA Today Examines Push to Improve Patient-Provider Communication
July 25, 2007
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/features/digest.jsp?id=6023&pid=1142&c=EMC-ND142

Literature Review Assesses Strategies for Enhancing Patient-Provider Communication, Patient Satisfaction
July 20, 2007
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/features/digest.jsp?id=5988&pid=1142&c=EMC-ND142

University of Iowa Study to Investigate Whether Specialty Hospitals Contribute to Care Disparities
July 17, 2007
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/features/digest.jsp?id=5969&pid=1142&c=EMC-ND142

Minorities, Those With Low Socioeconomic Status Make Up Disproportionate Share of Overweight, Obese in U.S., Study Says
July 13, 2007
Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=46220

Asian Ethnic Groups Experience Different Risks for Certain Cancers, Diseases, Study Finds
July 11, 2007
Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=46142

States Consider Adding Cultural Training Component to Continuing Medical Education
July 10, 2007
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/features/digest.jsp?c=EMC-ND142&pid=1142&id=5930

National Program Shown to Improve Cardiac Care for Hispanic, African-American Patients
July 9, 2007
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/features/digest.jsp?c=EMC-ND142&pid=1142&id=5923

Researchers Develop, Evaluate Forms To Assess Cultural Appropriateness of Care Minorities Receive
July 6, 2007
Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=46053

More Ethnic Minorities Enrolling in Medical School
July 5, 2007
Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=46034

Florida Gov. Crist Signs Bill Aiming To Reduce Infant Mortality Rates Among Minorities
July 3, 2007
Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=46005

U.S. House Lawmakers Urge Passage of Bill That Aims To Reduce Minority Health Disparities, Increase
June 29, 2007
Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=45942

Federal Lawmakers Propose Bill to Promote Health Equity, Reduce Disparities
June 29, 2007
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/features/digest.jsp?c=EMC-ND142&pid=1142&id=5884

'Medical Homes' Provide Access to Quality Care for Uninsured, Could Reduce Racial Disparities, Study Finds
June 28, 2007
Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=45898

Health Disparities Driven by Where Minorities Seek Care, Study Suggests
June 26, 2007
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/features/digest.jsp?c=EMC-ND142&pid=1142&id=5858

Researchers Study Genetics, Other Factors To Determine Why Black Women Have Higher Rates of Aggressive Breast Cancer
June 25, 2007
Kaiser Family Foundation
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=45795

Minnesota Hospital Tailors Maternity Services to Reflect Rising Hmong Patient Population
June 25, 2007
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/features/digest.jsp?c=EMC-ND142&pid=1142&id=5850