Civil Rights Information

When a program or entity receives federal funding, beneficiaries, like TennCare members, and participants, like providers, in that program have the right to receive services or participate in that program free from discrimination because of their race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, conscience and religious freedom, or other statuses protected by federal and/or state law.

• For a quick overview about providing equitable care and provider’s civil rights obligations watch this video at: https://youtu.be/PR21VXErPZY
• You can also find more information about provider’s civil rights obligations at: https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-providers/provider-obligations/index.html
• For more information about disability rights see: https://www.ada.gov/ and https://www.access-board.gov/healthcare.html
• The American Medical Association has guidelines to prevent and address discrimination in healthcare and advance health equity: The AMA’s strategic plan to embed racial justice and advance health equity | American Medical Association (ama-assn.org)

One way you can improve your patients’ health is by connecting them with community resources (like food pantries and housing help).

Providing Culturally Competent Care Free from Discrimination

• Want to learn more about providing cultural competent care? Information may be found at:
  1. The Think Cultural Health website features information, continuing education opportunities, resources, and more for health and health care professionals to learn about culturally and linguistically appropriate services, click on this link: https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/
  2. Social Determinants of Health: Know What Affects Health at: https://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants/
  3. Making Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services Happen at: http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/admin/health-equity/clas/making-clas-happen.html
  4. Find tools and resources to strengthen your practice's delivery of cultural competent and equitable care like a Toolkit to Advance Racial Health Equity in Primary Care Improvement at: https://healthforce.ucsf.edu/advancing-equity
• Do your patients understand their treatment plans? Help with achieving that goal may be found by viewing:
  1. The National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities created a Language Access Portal (LAP). The LAP contains information, in multiple languages, for six disease areas (cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and more) where major health disparities have been identified in non-English speaking populations. To learn more: https://www.nimhd.nih.gov/programs/edu-training/language-access/index.html
  2. The North Carolina Health Literacy - at: https://hsl.lib.unc.edu/health-literacy
  3. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has health literacy and communication tools and resources at:
     https://health.gov/our-work/national-health-initiatives/health-literacy and 
     https://health.gov/our-work/national-health-initiatives/health-literacy/consumer-health-content/myhealthfinder

• You can find Information about connecting with interpretation and translation resources at:
  1. Interpretation and Translation Services – If you need help locating language and communication assistance vendors contact TennCare’s Office of Civil Rights Compliance at HCFA.fairtreatment@tn.gov or the Provider Services division of your managed care organization. Also, click on the following link for an I Speak booklet to help you with identifying a person’s primary language: https://www.lep.gov/sites/lep/files/media/document/2022-06/i-speak-booklet.pdf
  2. Working with Medical Interpreters - Guidelines for Working with Interpreters (tn.gov)