Folie 1

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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care
Cultural mediators for effective and adequate
health care
In charge of the sub-project Caritasverband für
die Diözese Osnabrück e.V.
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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care
Target Groups
Unemployed asylum seekers and refugees with an
unsecured status of residence who are interested
in vocational qualification for example-
asylum seekers and persons filing a follow-up
asylum application- migrants with a status of
toleration or authorization according to 53-55
AuslG (alien law)- (former) refugees of war and
of civil war
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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care
Sub - project Qualification
Three modules Duration in total 27 months
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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care
Sub - project Qualification
Module 1, duration 6 months
Intensive language course focussing on the sector
of health care German Language in Health
Care Period 2 January 2003 30 June 2003 2
learning groups with 12 participants each
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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care
Sub - project Qualification
Module 2, duration 9 months
Lessons with practical component, Introduction
to the Basic Fields of Health Care Period 1
September 2003 31 May 2004 1 learning group
with 15 participants per week 4 days lessons, 1
day practical training in hospitals
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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care
Sub - project Qualification
Contents of module 2

• - mediation of language and culture
• training of interpreters
• anatomy and theory of diseases
• legal foundations
• German health system
• IT courses
• guest observing and learning in a hospital

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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care
Sub - project Qualification
Module 3, duration 12 months
Traineeship accompanied by lessons Period 1 June
2004 31 May 2005 11 participants
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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care
Sub - project Qualification
Contents of module 3

• - establishment of a contact office
• employment as mediators of language and culture
• public relations
• presentation of the service of Mediation of
  Language and Culture
• four-month traineeship in hospitals and similar
  institutions.

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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care
Results and Experiences

• 205 contacts between institutions of the regional
  health care system and migrants / refugees were
  accompanied by the cultural mediators
• Gains for the regional health care sector
• - Saving personals time, especially doctors time
• - Enabling successful communication around
  sensitive issues
• Support of migrants/ refugees by explaining
  examinations and procedures
• - Taking away responsibility from children

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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care

• Difficulties
• Uneven demands of minority languages (Russian and
  Turkish as most demanded languages)
• - Sceptics towards the language skills of the
  mediators

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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care
Sustainability of the service through exploring
further possibilities, supported by the DP
SAGA - Networking among mediators - Exploring
further possibilities
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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care

• Gains for the target group
• Personal sustainability after taking part in
  the qualification measure
• - Basis to get a traineeship
• - Basis to look for different working areas in
  the health care sector
• - Using short term opportunities in other EQUAL-
  and ERF-projects
• - Looking for jobs, but on a more profound basis
• - Access to IT-technologies

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SPuK Language and Culture
Foundations for an effective health care
Results and Experiences
Empowerment
- Language abilities used in the community -
Understanding and communicating the health care
and the social system - The qualification
measure as one of the better times in Germany