Promoting culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS): Core leadership competencies

Health disparities and inequitable care adversely affect diverse populations, are significant among racial and ethnic minorities and cost health-care organisations over US$400bn per year. This paper provides actionable recommendations on using culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) standards as a management tool to reduce costs and improve quality of care in behavioural health-care organisations. The qualitative Delphi study, on which the paper is based, documented the consensus of opinion from experts identifying core leadership competencies conducive to creating and sustaining CLAS standards competent organisations. Twenty-one expert executive behavioural health leaders located in the United States identified 15 leadership competencies critical to leading a CLAS standards competent organisation. The two most vital competencies were (a) cultural competence and adaption and (b) collaboration and teamwork. Effective executive behavioural health-care leaders use these unique competencies to provide clear plans and strategies to guide collaborative efforts to address health disparities. This study may promote best practices for organisations that hire and train executive behavioural health leaders by validating selection and training criteria predicted on these 15 competencies.