Washington, DC – Today the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) applauded the passage of AB 1195, which will require all continuing medical education courses in California to include curricula on cultural and linguistic understanding. NCLR, the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., with nearly 70 affiliates in the state of California, sponsored the Cultural and Linguistic Competency Training for Physicians Bill with Assemblymember Joe Coto (D-San Jose).

"The passage of AB 1195 will lead to a stronger health care system for all Californians by ensuring that all patients are able to communicate openly with, feel comfortable with, trust, and follow the advice of their doctors," said NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguia. "NCLR applauds Mr. Coto and all of the community organizations and health advocates involved in writing and passing such exemplary health care legislation. We hope that more states will continue the trend started first in New Jersey and now in California to require cultural and linguistic competency instruction to help address racial, ethnic, linguistic, and gender-based disparities in medical treatment."

"Over 40% of Californians speak a primary language other than English, and those numbers are projected to grow," said Assemblymember Coto, who is also the co-chair of the California Latino Caucus. "As our physicians continue to serve increasingly diverse communities, in order to provide quality health care, it is critical that health practitioners are able to effectively communicate with their patients. By signing AB 1195, Governor Schwarzenegger has demonstrated the state's commitment to ensuring that physicians equally serve all communities in California."

Currently, California physicians and surgeons are required to take 100 hours of continuing education courses every four years. Under AB 1195, cultural and linguistic competency care will be a component of all continuing medical education courses, with the exception of research courses or for those who do not provide direct patient care.

"Nearly 47 million people – 18% of the U.S. population – speak a language other than English at home. As the number of non-English-speaking residents increases, so does the demand for cutting-edge health care that addresses the cultural and linguistic diversity of patients. NCLR encourages other states to pass bills such as California's AB 1195 which will significantly improve the well-being of all Americans," Murguia concluded.