Family Resources

Phone: 910-673-9111      Fax: 910-673-6202     www.sandhillscenter.org
Sandhills Center - A Local Management Entity (LME) - Managed Care Organization
Managing Mental Health, Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Servic

After Gateway is enrolled in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) / Nutrition Services Branch Division of Public Health NCDHHS. The CACFP is a supplemental food program. This program provides funds to provide healthier meals. It is not meant to cover all food service expenses.

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or if all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)

If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at​ http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call
(866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.
Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339; or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer." 

• NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Substance Abuse:
  Information and Resources
  919-733-7011
  https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/mhddsas​
• NC Division on Social Services:
  Social Services for Adults and their families 
  919-733-3055 
  https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/daas
• Registry for Advance Directives:
  www.sosnc.com
• Advancing Adult Day Services through Federal and State Advocacy:
  http://www.nadsa.org/content/index.php?pid=88
• NC Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped:
  Public library that circulates digital and large print copies of books and magazines for people
  that have visual and physical disabilities.
  1-888-388-2460 or visit the website http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/lbph/
• Signal 3:
  Program offered to residents in the Greensboro City Limit. Notifies Firefighters and Emergency Workers of any special needs during emergencies. Register by calling.
  336-574-4088
  http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/index.aspx?page=624
• NC Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing:
  Services to people with hearing impairments, including interpreter services, advocacy,
  access to AT and coordination of services.
  919-874-2212 (voice, TTY)
  1-800-851-6099
  http://dsdhh.dhhs.state.nc.us/
• Senior Resources of Guilford
  Family Caregiver Information and Caregiver/Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
  Greensboro, NC 336-373-4816 or 336-884-4816
  High Point, NC 336-883-3586
  http://www.senior-resources-guilford.org

AFTER GATEWAY

CULTURAL COMPETENCY AND DIVERSITY PLAN

FY 2023-2024

After Gateway participates in the State’s efforts to promote the delivery of services in a culturally competent manner to all participants, including those with limited English Proficiency and diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.  CFR 42. 438.206 c (2)

The creation, implementation and ongoing review of the Cultural Competency and Diversity Plan is an essential foundation to ensure our staff, persons served and other stakeholders develop awareness and sensitivity to the diversity of our service population. After Gateway’s system of care is culturally competent, After Gateway’s cultural competency and diversity plan takes into consideration the culture, age, gender, sexual orientation, spiritual beliefs, socio-economic status and language of person served, personnel, guardians/families and other stakeholders.

This is accomplished by all stakeholders understanding that cultural competence and diversity goes beyond race or language identifiers. Cultural competence and diversity encompasses understanding one’s own culture and that there are diversities within each culture. In compliance with its Cultural Competency and Diversity Policies and Procedures After Gateway shall:

• Maintain a respectful service delivery network free of offensive practices and conditions.

• Recognize each stakeholder’s unique value, contribution and potential

• Develop approaches/programs/services to meet identified needs of a culturally diverse population.

• Orient/train After Gateway staff in the cultural diversity of its service population

After Gateway engages in the following goals and initiatives to address cultural competency and diversity to meet the needs of all stakeholders:

• Provide cultural awareness training for staff at orientation.

• Expand and promote cultural diversity activities to increase 

 awareness in serving the growing, culturally diverse population.

• Research availability of emerging and effective Best Practice Standards 

for culturally diverse populations and communicate findings to staff via training 

• Provide ongoing best practice training through online courses.

• Ensure that cultural competency is embedded in Systems of Care 

• and Person Centered Planning processes.

• Ensure staff will have a greater awareness/knowledge and then be able to successfully respond to the diversity of our stake holders (including areas such as spiritual beliefs, holiday, dietary regulations or preferences, clothing, attitudes toward impairments, language, how and when to use interpreters, etc.)

• Identify resources for cultural engagement and interaction within the community.

A basic concept in establishing cultural competency is to “do unto others as they would have done unto them”. (The Platinum Rule, from the University of Michigan Health System Multicultural Health Program.)  After Gateway realizes that establishing cultural competency is an on-going process that travels along a continuum.  The highest level of this continuum is cultural proficiency.  This involves holding cultural differences and diversity in the highest esteem, pro-activity regarding cultural differences and promotion of improved cultural relations among diverse groups.

After Gateway strives to reach cultural proficiency through staff training and ensuring all policies, procedures and communications are aimed at reaching that goal.  The Cultural Competency Plan will be reviewed annually and goals revised accordingly.  

Resources utilized in the development of this plan include the Cultural and Linguistic Competency Recommendations published by the Department of Health and Human Services, the University of Michigan, School of Medicine and the National Center for Cultural Competence, Sandhills Center Cultural Competency Plan 2023 and Sandhills Learning Management System of the Tailored plan.  The Sandhills plan is included below.  This plan is published on our website.  

CULTURAL COMPETENCY PLAN Sandhills Center participates in the State’s efforts to promote the delivery of services in a culturally competent manner to all members, including those with limited English Proficiency and diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. (CFR 42. 438.206 b (2)) Sandhills Center BH/IDD Tailored Plan/Medicaid Direct PIHP (Sandhills Center) maintains a provider network that provides culturally competent services by recognizing, respecting, and responding to the unique and culturally defined needs of the populations served in the geographic area that goes beyond race or language identifiers. In order to achieve cultural competency, Sandhills Center requires providers to participate in its Cultural Competency Plan, which is developed and approved by the Network Leadership Council composed of members of the provider network and provider representatives. The Cultural Competency Plan ensures that Sandhills Center maintains a respectful service delivery network, free of offensive practices and conditions; recognizes each individual’s unique value, contributions, and potential; and develops programs and services to meet identified needs of a culturally diverse population. To this end, Sandhills Center strives to ensure that the people we serve have access to services provided by culturally competent network providers and Sandhills staff with whom they communicate. Sandhills Center recognizes, respects, and responds to the unique, culturally defined needs of the population served in the geographic area. This is accomplished by both Sandhills staff and network providers understanding that cultural competence goes beyond race or language identifiers. Cultural competence encompasses understanding of one’s own culture and that there are diversities within each culture. In compliance with its Cultural Competency Policies and Procedures Sandhills Center shall: • Promote and maintain the delivery of services by Network providers in a Culturally and Linguistically competent manner to all members, including those with limited English proficiency, diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, disabilities, deafness and who are deaf and hard of hearing and regardless of gender sexual orientation or gender identity. o Sandhills assist providers with meeting these requirements, including actively recruiting service providers who are native and/or fluent speakers, educating providers on the availability of the Cultural and Linguistic Competency resources, accessing the resource, and responsibility in providing access to interpreter services and having sufficient interpreter capacity. • Sandhills Center ensures that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Questioning (LGBTQ) members who obtain covered services are not subject to treatment that does not affirm their orientation. • Develop approaches/programs/services to meet identified needs of a culturally diverse populations including but not limited to members who are in the Armed Services, veterans and their families, pregnant women with SUD, people who identify themselves as LGBTQ, people who are in jails or prisons, youth in juvenile justice system, justice-involved populations more broadly, Historically Marginalized Populations, and other vulnerable populations, and QMCappd 05/23/2023 • Orient/train Sandhills Center and Provider staff in the cultural diversity of its service population o Provider training shall increase awareness and sensitivity to the needs of persons who may have different cultural health beliefs and practices, low-socioeconomic individuals and/or families, individuals with disabilities, learning preferences to receiving information, health disparities for Historically Marginalized Populations and individuals with trauma. Sandhills Center engages in the following goals and initiatives to address cultural competency of the provider network to meet the demographic needs of the population served: • Identify cultural and language needs of the community through annual needs/gaps assessment to ensure that culturally diverse multi-lingual persons have access to Behavioral and Physical health services as needed. https://www.sandhillscenter.org/about/regulatory-plans. Click on “Network Development Plan”. • Recruit providers to address service gaps/needs; to ensure the workforce reflects the diversity of the community it serves. • Provide cultural awareness training for network providers at least once during the year. Attendance will be tracked. • Provide cultural awareness training for all Sandhills Center staff at orientation and as a part of the annual appraisal evaluation for existing staff. • Review information/reports on an annual basis related to utilization and access issues which identify linguistics and ethnicity from Customer Services, Care Coordination Management, and Utilization Management and both member and provider Grievance and Appeals data. • Review information on an annual basis for foreign language and deaf and hard of hearing interpreter services with whom Sandhills Center contracts, as required. • Research availability of emerging and effective Best Practice Standards for culturally diverse populations and communicate findings to providers via training or quarterly meetings. • Ensure that cultural competency is embedded in Systems of Care and Person-Centered Planning processes. • Publish and maintain a Cultural Competency Resource Booklet for Sandhills Center staff, providers and members. This information can be found on the Sandhills Center website at https://www.sandhillscenter.org/forproviders/resources. Click on “Cultural Competency Resource Booklet”. • Provider contracts require compliance with all Federal and State laws which require equal opportunity in employment and bar illegal employment discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or disability. • Demographic data from the most recent Provider Capacity, Local Needs Assessment and Gaps Analysis Report can be found at https://www.sandhillscenter.org/about/regulatory-plans. Click on “Network Development Plan”