OHSU Diversity Digest | January 2015 | www.ohsu.edu/diversity | FaceBook | Twitter | Instagram

Black History Month Cultural Competency Lecture Join the African American Employee Resource Group in commemorating Black History Month with a cultural competency lecture highlighting the impact of HIV/AIDS on the African American community. Christopher Evans, M.D., an assistant professor in the Department of General Internal Medicine, will discuss his research on the epidemic that has disproportionately impacted the African American Community. The event is free and open to the OHSU community. Come early for a light lunch and networking; the talk The talk starts at 12:15pm on Thursday, February 12 at the BICC Gallery. For folks who are unable to join the event at the BICC Gallery, a live web stream will be hosted at Room 2 South 24 in the Collaborative Life Sciences Building. OHSU staff, faculty and students may also view the live stream of the lecture (Note: the link will be live minutes before the event). View the flier or contact cdi@ohsu.edu for more information about the event. Celebrate the Lunar New Year Everyone is welcome to join the Lunar New Year potluck celebration hosted by the Asian Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group and the Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association. The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30pm on Wednesday, February 11 at the 3rd Floor Conference Center, Center for Health & Healing. The gathering is a great way to learn about Asian American cultures that celebrate the Lunar New Year, as well as meet students and staff from throughout the campus. If interested in volunteering for the event, or in sharing a song, poem or dance that reflects Lunar New Year traditions, please email cdi@ohsu.edu. | View the flier Multicultural Book Drive for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital The International Employee Resource Group (IERG) is collecting new and gently used children’s books (view the flier) for Doernbecher’s Child Life Program. The program is looking for children’s books in languages other than English, especially Spanish and Russian. They also seek books showcasing racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity. The Child Life Program has a special need for brand new books that are individually sealed for young patients with a suppressed immune system. Drop off donated books by Friday, February 27 at the following locations. Email ierg@ohsu.edu for more information.

• Healthcare Human Resources: Room 1102, Sam Jackson Hall • Office of International Affairs: Room 1182, Mackenzie Hall

Working with Community to Improve Health Outcomes

Members of the OHSU Latino Medical Student Association and the Latino Dental Student Association conducted training for community members on blood pressure screening at a community health fair. Under the guidance of Drs. Mohamud Daya and Charles Thomas, Spanish-speaking students educated community members about blood pressure, and how it relates to overall health outcomes. “A key part of the training focused on how to take blood pressure,” says Glenn Dautz, second-year M.D. student. “The learners are eager to use their new skills in upcoming fairs to help even more community members.”

OHSU Recognized for Language Access Initiatives The Oregon Health Care Interpreters Association recognized OHSU’s Language Services team with its 2014 Presidential Awardfor Language Access. Led by Kalen Beck, CI and CT, the team was recognized for their exemplary efforts in establishing OHSU’s bilingual screening process for staff and clinicians. OHSU provides language testing to ensure all staff working with patients in a language other than English is medically fluent in the other language. Over the past year, OHSU has screened 154 individuals (78 of which have passed the fluency screening) in 12 languages. Last year alone, OHSU increased the amount of interpreting hours by 25% through education and awareness campaigns totaling more than 23,000 hours. All new OHSU staff members receive training on how to contact and use interpreters through employee orientation sessions. County Report Focuses on Health Disparities People of color in Multnomah County face “extremely sobering’’ disparities that lead to more illness, fewer opportunities and shorter lives, according to the Multnomah County Health Department. The findings, from the “Report Card on Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities in Multnomah County,” highlights disparate health outcomes for the county’s communities of color. African Americans experience grave differences in almost all 33 measures, but disparities also persist for Latinos, Native Americans/Alaska Natives and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders. Analysts reviewed 33 indicators around health including underlying causes of poor health such as economic status, education, literacy, air quality, access to healthy food and health care. read more

January 2015

February 5: Taking a Native Stand for Indian Country. 11:30am-1pm OHSU Hospital 8th floor Auditorium. Michelle Singer, Prevention Research Center, will briefly discuss fundamentals of Indian policy, health delivery systems, and disparities of American Indian & Alaska Native communities. Co-hosted by the Native American Employee Resource Group February 9: Deadline for Equity and CURE Internship. The Summer Equity and CURE internship programs are designed to provide hands-on clinical and research laboratory experiences for diverse students. Application deadline is February 9; selected interns will be notified by April. Learn more about the Equity (college) and CURE (high school) internships. February 12: Cultural Competence Training 8am-12pm at OHSU School of Nursing. Focus on providing care for Latino patients and families; facilitated by Familias en Accion. Free to OHSU staff and faculty. Email for more info. February 21: OHSU at Tet Festival 9am-5pm at Oregon Convention Center. Asian Pacific Islander ERG members will staff the OHSU booth at the Tet Festival, the Vietnamese community’s celebration of Lunar New Year. Email cdi@ohsu.edu for info. February 27: Advisors Conference. Open to all college pre-health advisors, this one-day conference is packed with information and resources about OHSU academic programs. No cost, but RSVP required. March 9: Tax Preparation Workshop 11am to 1pm OHSU Hospital 8th Floor Auditorium. International ERG hosts a tax preparation informational workshop for those who are filing taxes in the United States for the first time. Open to all. RSVP by March 4. March 14: Volunteer with Latinos Unidos Organization. 8am-3pm at George Middle School in North Portland. Latinos Unidos Employee Resource Group are volunteering at Portland Public Schools’ Latino Family Conference. For questions about joining the OHSU volunteer contingent, email Daisy Alva, LUERG chair.

Center for Diversity & Inclusion Oregon Health & Science University All employee resource group events are free and open to the OHSU community. Email CDI to request accommodation.