Delivering Culturally Competent Care in Clinical Practice: A Call to Action

Minority populations in the United States are growing rapidly. Based on 2006 data from the US Census Bureau, minorities currently represent 25% of the US population. Trends indicate that this percentage will increase and that by 2050 up to half of the population will consist of people who have historically been called minorities.1 This shift in the composition of the population represents a significant challenge for health care providers (HCPs) across the nation, as disparities in health care are already present in the United States and minorities are less likely than whites to receive needed services across a number of chronic disease states, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, renal disease, diabetes, and mental illness.2