Culturally sensitive care 1969-2000: the Indian Chicano Health Center

The provision of culturally competent health care is a priority for providers across the United States. However, for biomedicine, what does the provision of culturally sensitive, culturally competent care actually mean? To address this question, I use a case study of 30 years of practice at an urban free clinic founded to provide culturally sensitive health care. The model of culturally sensitive health care presented is compared to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services standards for providing culturally and linguistically appropriate care (CLAS). I conclude that, for the most part, the urban free clinic founders and community participants through its history generated similar responses to CLAS in their effort to effectively serve Latino/Latina and Native American populations. However, the order in which the urban free clinic implemented cultural sensitivity measures seems to follow the theoretical concept of cultural lag, where material/nonmaterial culture transference differs in situations of culture contact and social change.