We wrote here about our first Zoom-based meeting for cultural competency coordinators in health care during the coronavirus crisis. The second meeting, held on June 24, focused on mental health.
Ofra, Director of Special Programs in Mental Health, Ministry of Health, opens the online session
The meeting included 25 professionals, most of them cultural competency coordinators and coordinators for patient experience in psychiatry, for hospital-based as well as community-based care.
It was important and helpful to pause for a moment during these exceptional times, and reflect upon the changes in interpersonal and intercultural communication that characterize the recent period. We saw that many of the challenges stemmed from the restrictions that prevent family or other visitors from being able to mediate or be extra support systems for the patients.
Sometimes solutions have been found. In psychotherapy, for example, the challenges of not being able to see facial expressions while wearing a mask has been solved by wearing plastic shields, or by remote therapy. However, technological barriers often prevent the transition to online therapy, including lack of physical access to computers and a lack of access to treatment in the appropriate language, especially among the older population. Many therapists and treatment centers are trying to provide treatment in different ways to protect the health of the patients, without sacrificing quality and cultural competence. At the same time, they fear for their own health and safety.
It was very exciting to hear about the solutions taken in the various organizations:
- An effort to provide solutions for speakers of lesser-used languages through organizations and representatives from consulates in the Sharon area;
- Tablets and training for patients in Acco;
- Translation of explanatory pages on the isolation unit in various languages at Hadassah Ein Kerem;
- Use of recorded and culturally adapted tutorials by phone or video at a hospital in Be’er Sheva, and more.
At the end of the session, all felt that they had learned a great deal. The warm and positive responses that were sent afterward definitely reinforced this feeling.
