Impact, Fall 1996 Page: 2
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VIEWPOINT,
Tidemarks The summer of 1996 will be remem-
bered as the time when the sun glared down
of Kinshin on Texas and dry riverbeds scarred the
P land. But, despite the hardships it wrought,the 1996 drought also wore
another face. As the waters
receded, artifacts long
submerged surfaced to
remind us of many worlds
we had forgotten or had
never known. Each tidemark
told a story.
The discoveries made
possible by the ebbingwaters parallel TXMHMR's growing aware-
ness of the cultures that distinguish its
service recipients. In June TXMHMR hosted
its fifth annual conference on cultural
diversity, and other efforts are underway to
incorporate a respect for cultural differ-
ences into the system's everyday practices.
These initiatives complement a general shift
to individualized services, for as we pay
more attention to the diversity of people,
we cannot help but see the inadequacy of a
stock response to consumers' needs.
However, if we view the world through
the lens of white male society, we deny
ourselves access to valuable cultural
resources. This is true of both our profes-
sional relationships with one another and
our interactions with consumers. A team in
which everyone thinks alike might just as
well consist of only one person.
As executive director of Dallas County
MHMR Center, I realized that the center had
a one-size-fits-all approach to a diverse
population. Although Dallas County is about
21% Hispanic, fewer than 10-12% of Dallas
County's service recipients were Hispanic2
2people. Demographics such as these, as well
as input from staff of minority populations,
sent Dallas County MHMR a clear message
that it was not serving its community as well
as it could.
The diversity council at Dallas County
MHMR was an early model for change.
Charged with identifying needed reforms
and implementing them, the council re-
quired significant autonomy. It had a
budget. It was self-perpetuating, that is, the
original council of applicants appointed
replacements as members left. At the same
time, each council members' job description
stipulated that at least four hours of work
per week be dedicated to making the Dallas
County MHMR service system more cultur-
ally competent.
A process is now underway to assess
and develop cultural competency through-
out the TXMHMR system, first at the
department's facilities and later in the
community. Although responses will vary in
different geographic areas, a clear picture
of our strengths and weaknesses should
emerge by the end of the fiscal year. We will
then draw on our assets to shore up services
and conduct regular meetings of the
governing bodies and assessments to ensure
that we stay on task. Clear expectations will
guide us to success. Cultural competency-
no less than treatment and discharge
planning-deserves this focus.
By August the rains had finally begun
to fill the rivers and lakes in Texas again.
But we must remember that other terrain
and take care that it never disappears.
Contributed by TXMHMR Commissioner
Don Gilbert.Y/
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Texas. Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. Impact, Fall 1996, periodical, Autumn 1996; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1588631/m1/2/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.