Detria Austin, CHE, Assistant Vice President for Administrative Services at MCG Health, Inc., has been selected to participate in the 2005-2006 Cultural Competence Leadership Fellowship program. The program is being launched by the Institute for Diversity in Health Management, Health Research and Educational Trust, National Center for Health Care Leadership and the American Hospital Association’s Health Forum.

Highly collaborative, experiential and participatory in nature, the yearlong Fellowship involves executive leadership retreats, self-study modules and virtual learning. The program is divided into five self-study modules and four face-to-face meetings. After completion, Austin will have the tools necessary to implement a range of proposals designed to create a culturally responsive system of care. Austin is responsible for the CLAS (Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services) Department at MCG Health System.

"The patient population we serve will continue to grow more culturally and ethnically diverse. In fact, recent demographic research shows that there are more than 40,000 Hispanics in the CSRA. Within the next five years, that population is expected to double in size," Austin said. "I am confident that the Fellowship will help increase the organizational skills we’ll need to meet the challenges of a diverse patient base and enhance our patient/family-centered care and customer service initiatives."

MCG Health System is composed of three separate organizations -- MCG Health, Inc. and the clinical services offered by the faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the members of the MCG Physicians Practice Group Foundation. The physicians of MCG Health System are community physicians, faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia, and employees of the MCG Physicians Practice Group Foundation, not employees of MCG Health, Inc. MCG Health, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCG Medical Center, MCG Children’s Medical Center, the MCG Sports Medicine Center, MCG Ambulatory Care Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center and related clinical facilities and services. MCG Health, Inc. was formed to support the research and education mission of the Medical College of Georgia and to build the economic growth of the CSRA, the state of Georgia and the Southeast by providing an environment for faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the MCG Physicians Practice Group Foundation and community physicians to deliver the highest level of primary and specialty health care. For more information, please visit www.MCGHealth.org.