Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS)
Promoting health equity, which means everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible, is a priority for behavioral health services in Connecticut. Existing disparities based on race, ethnicity, language, and other dimensions of identity contribute to a lack of access to quality care and can disproportionately impact health outcomes.
Learn more about the CLAS standards and CLAS statewide workgroup at Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services – Plan 4 Children
Watch these helpful videos about CLAS and the CLAS Toolkit: Advancing Health Equity and Racial Justice in Children’s Behavioral Health
CLAS Toolkit: Advancing Health Equity and Racial Justice in Children’s Behavioral Health
This free, self-guided toolkit is designed to help child- and family-serving organizations develop their own Health Equity Plans to advance health equity and to reduce racial injustice and health disparities within their organizations, services, and communities.
The toolkit is based on the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (National CLAS Standards) and follows a four phase process for implementing those standards developed by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, CHDI, Beacon Health Options, and Health & Equity, LLC.
Download NowConnecting with CLAS Training Catalog
Connecting to Care is a federally-funded initiative focused on improving the state’s behavioral health system of care for children. In order to best serve all children with behavioral health needs in our state, the services that children and families might benefit from must be racially just, culturally responsive, and linguistically appropriate. Connecting to Care offers a blueprint by the way of trainings, consultation and support for organizations to implement racially just and culturally and linguistically appropriate services that will advance health equity, improve the quality of services, and help eliminate racial and ethnic disparities. All support is free and can be accessed by contacting Lisa Palazzo at Lisa.Palazzo@carelon.com
CLAS Toolkit
Click here to watch the video in Spanish