AOD Research Community

15 Enhanced CLAS Standards

The Office of Minority Health (OMH), under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Services, released standards for culturally competent healthcare in 2001. In 2011, the Community Alliance for CLAS convened an advisory board to help draft CLAS standards specifically for use in the California AOD field.  These standards and associated checklists were approved by the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (ADP, now DHCS) in early 2012, and updated by the Office of Minority Health (OMH) in 2013. The new, enhanced standards are intended for use in the treatment provision for substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery organizations. The CA-CLAS contract is dedicated to increasing the capacity of these organizations to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
15 Enhanced CA CLAS Standards and Recommendations

Measurement and data analysis in research addressing health disparities in substance abuse

This article describes concrete strategies and offers recommendations for conducting substance abuse research with ethnic minorities.

Managerial Capacity and Adoption of Culturally Competent Practices in Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Organizations

This study examined managers’ characteristics associated with adoption of culturally competent practices in the nation’s outpatient substance abuse treatment field from 1995 to 2005.  The findings have implications for the development of policy to equip treatment organizations to adopt linguistic and culturally relevant service models.

Organizational Characteristics that Foster Early Adoption of Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment in the United States

This study focuses on the organizational factors associated with adoption of culturally and linguistically responsive practices in outpatient substance abuse treatment organizations. It examines the direct relationship between the initial presence of regulation and the extent to which programs respond to this early pressure by adopting, at various degrees, culturally and linguistically competent practices. Additionally, the study will determine whether the level of professionalization of an organization is related to the degree of adoption of this policy innovation, and to what degree managers’ cultural sensitivity plays a role in fostering the adoption of culturally and linguistically responsive practices.

Center for Evaluation and Research, Tobacco Control Evaluation Center, UCDavis 

The center at UC Davis has resources to help organizations conduct evaluations —in tobacco control—with “priority populations” as defined by the California Department of Public Health. Although the center’s focus is tobacco control, some information included on this website has relevance for the AOD field, as well as utility for understanding and implementing cultural competence in program evaluation.

Cultural Competence in Substance Abuse Treatment, Policy Planning, and Program Development– Annotated Bibliography

The books, articles and research studies in this bibliography provide background reading in cultural competency and will discuss what constitutes as culturally competent treatment, why it is an important component of counseling, and implications for program development, administration and policy planning. Our hope is that it will stimulate professionals to examine effective and appropriate ways to serve diverse clients in substance abuse treatment programs.

Lending Library

lending libraryThe Clearinghouse is pleased to offer a lending library of books, articles, and DVDs to registered users. To browse the selection or request an item, please click the logo to the left.

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