At Oscar, we define culturally competent care (CCC) as the ability to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs, and behaviors, taking the patients' social, cultural, and linguistic needs into account. Through culturally competent care, healthcare systems work to grow their cultural knowledge and resources, and adapt their products and services to meet individuals where they are.
Disparities within our healthcare system have a direct impact on clinical outcomes – that’s why Oscar is dedicated to providing access to equitable care that meets patients’ unique needs. Oscar’s CCC Grant Program was established in 2021, to support our mission of using technology, engagement, and empathy to address the systemic barriers in our healthcare system that have made accessing quality healthcare unattainable for many communities.
For our 2023 grants, we chose to focus on two underserved communities in the United States: Hispanic/Latino and Rural communities.
Hispanic and Latino people make up about 20% of the US population (opens in new tab), and yet, their healthcare needs are often unmet: Hispanic and Latino people experience 30-40% worse health outcomes (opens in new tab) than White individuals, and are twice as likely to be uninsured than their White counterparts. 46% of Hispanic/Latino adults (opens in new tab) report that they have a close friend or family member who needs a Spanish-speaking healthcare provider or translator. Rural communities typically have significantly less access to healthcare than their urban counterparts. About 20% of the American population resides in rural areas, yet less than 10% of US healthcare resources are allocated there. When we kicked off our 2023 CCC grant program, we decided to focus on supporting organizations working to address systemic barriers that these communities face.