Resources to support diverse patients and communities

We’ve heard it all our lives: To be fair, you should treat everybody the same. However, the challenge is that everybody is not the same. These differences can lead to critical disparities not only in how patients access healthcare but, in their outcomes, as well. The COVID-19 pandemic has reignited public attention about the serious health risks and consequences of disparities, and the critical need for health equity.

Health equity means everyone can reach their highest level of health, and barriers to doing so must be removed. Health disparities are health differences closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantages.¹ Achieving health equity requires focus on the elimination of barriers and disparities associated with factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, socioeconomic status, disability, and even where you live.² It is imperative to offer access to care that is tailored to the unique needs of patients, and Anthem is committed to supporting our providers in this effort.

Cultural competency resources

Here is an overview of the cultural competency resources available on our provider website:

• Cultural Competency and Patient Engagement:
  • A training resource to increase cultural and disability competency to help effectively support the health and healthcare needs of your diverse patients
• Caring for Diverse Populations Toolkit:
  • A comprehensive resource to help providers and office staff increase effective communication by enhancing knowledge of the values, beliefs, and needs of diverse patients
• My Diverse Patients:
  • Offers resources, information, and techniques to help provide the individualized care every patient deserves regardless of their diverse backgrounds
  • Includes learning experiences on topics related to cultural competency and disparities that offer free continuing medical education (CME) credit
  • Free accessibility from any device (desktop computer, laptop, phone, or tablet), no account or login is required

To access these resources, go to tinyurl.com/4twduabm > For Providers > Education & Training > Forms & Guides.

Stronger Together is the communityresources.anthem.com/ microsite which offers free resources to support the diverse health needs of all people where they live, learn, work, and play. These resources were created in collaboration with national organizations and may be shared with your patients and communities.

While there is no single, easy answer to address healthcare disparities, the vision of MyDiversePatients.com and Stronger Together is to begin reversing these trends, one person at a time.

Prevalent non-English languages (based on population data)

Like you, Anthem wants to serve the needs of diverse patients. We all need to be aware of the cultural and linguistic needs of our communities, so we are sharing recent data about the top 15 non‑English languages spoken by 5% or 1,000 individuals in New Hampshire.
(Source: American Community Survey, 2023 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table B16001, generated July 2023.)

Language support services

As a reminder, Anthem provides language assistance services for our members with limited English proficiency (LEP) or hearing, speech, or visual impairments. Please see the Provider Manual for details on the available resources and how to access them. In addition, the cultural competency resources shared above guide communicating and serving diverse populations effectively.

Embrace the knowledge, skills, ideals, strategies, and techniques to accelerate your journey to becoming your patients’ trusted healthcare partner by using these resources today.

Through genuine collaboration, we can simplify access to care and help you deliver high-quality, equitable healthcare.

¹Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2022, Feb 6). Healthy People — Disparities. Retrieved from tinyurl.com/59vwa9fx.

²Think Anthem.com. (2022, Feb 7). Why We Need Health Equity. Retrieved from tinyurl.com/2en6azxj.