Core Principles:

• Diversity and culture is a strength
• Honor beliefs, traditional healing, values, religions, and spirituality of evolving cultures
• Cultural competence is supported at all levels of the Department – director, executive staff, and line staff and across all divisions & programs
• Ensure culturally and linguistically appropriate policy and services
• Change the way services are provided to benefit the needs of all people
• Invest in the transformation of the public mental health system from the medical model to a culturally competent recovery oriented model
• Focus on strengths, resiliency, recovery, and permanency
• Client/Community defines appropriateness of services
• Address stigma and discrimination and institutional/structural racism
• Keep an open mind
• Actively engaging multicultural community participation in all elements of mental health policy development and service delivery
• Commitment to knowledge/awareness of cultural groups (how they differ from dominant, from one another, other groups)
• Safe environment for open/honest discussions
• Recognize the impacts of class, gender, race, sexual orientation, homelessness, immigration/refugee status, socio-economic status, poverty, disabilities, age, and all other defining characteristics
• Build capacity (resources, research, workforce, infrastructure)
• Fairness and equity in resources for all populations
• Consistency in data collection that supports actual measurement of disparities and progress made to address disparities
• Values are multilayered – top/bottom/sideways/diagonal/circular