"Practicing culturally relevant care means we can account for the social determinants of health, barriers to access, and the emotional disconnect that results from the status quo, one-size-fits-all approach many patients have come to expect. It helps us reach into underserved communities and lift them up, which is essential during a pandemic that disproportionately affects low-income and diverse Americans.

If we, as clinicians, can align around the fact that we exist to serve all patients, we must realize that culturally relevant care is more than a situational deviation from the norm. Rather, it must represent the new normal—the new standard of care."

Vik Bakhru is a clinician and health care executive.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "To achieve health equity, we must make culturally relevant care the standard of care." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/04/to-achieve-health-equity-we-must-make-culturally-relevant-care-the-standard-of-care.html)