Office of Multicultural Health

The Office of Multicultural Health (OMH) is a shared policy office within the Director’s Office of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). It serves as an advisor to both departments on a wide range of multi-cultural and racial issues and a liaison between the departments and outside stakeholders. The OMH has a 21 member multicultural health advisory council which advises the departments and Directors on multicultural health issues.

The OMH is dedicated to protecting and promoting the health and well-being of racial/ethnic and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) communities and tribal organizations and nations in California. The Office serves as a conduit to develop and implement unified and innovative approaches to influence and shape policies and resources regarding minority health. The OMH works to:

Inform and advance national, state, and local discussions on multicultural health, cultural and linguistic competence, workforce diversity, health equity, and the elimination of racial/ethnic disparities in health and healthcare;
Inform policies, practices, rules and regulations to increase the effectiveness services to diverse ethnic and racial communities;
Implement, monitor and evaluate training, research, community outreach, information dissemination, access to quality health care, practice and policy development;
Create and strengthen information networks among CDPH and DHCS programs and ethnic/racial communities;
Promote community participation in decision-making related to health issues;
Build capacity through training, technical assistance, and strategic planning;
Advocate for the development, collection, and use of federal and state level data to monitor health outcomes by race/ethnicity; and
Support the development and dissemination of information, strategies, and resources contributing to the improved health status of California communities.

VISION

To provide leadership in improving the health of racial/ethnic and LGBT communities, tribal organizations and nations.

MISSION

To promote and protect the health of racial/ethnic and LGBT communities, tribal organizations and nations, by preventing disease and injury and assuring optimal health and well-being.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

OMH seeks to work across multiple sectors promoting collaborative approaches that encompass but not limited to the following: prevention, health promotion/education, care delivery, research and evaluation, and partnerships to specifically meet the needs of racial and ethnic and LGBT communities, tribal organizations and nations to eliminate disparities, and ensure cultural competence in health care. OMH holds the following guiding principles for its actions:

Health and Health Care Disparities Elimination. OMH is committed to the elimination of health and health care disparities for racial/ethnic and LGBT communities, tribal organizations and nations through the advancement of policy, data, research, and programs that address socioeconomic determinants of health.
Capacity Building. OMH seeks to build the capacity of state and local governments, and communities to raise awareness of and to achieve health equity and eliminate health disparities.
Community Empowerment. OMH is committed to engaging and empowering racial and ethnic communities, tribal organizations and nations in innovative ways to address minority health and health disparities issues.