This program is aimed at improving the cultural sensitivity of the health care professionals working in the diverse areas of the struggle against the Covid-19 crisis. The program was developed by a team of experts from academia and from the field and is based on the extensive know-how they have accumulated on the subject. It is specifically adapted to the present Israeli context and its social and cultural heterogeneity. 

The program focuses on three different dimensions of cultural competence: The component of awareness, which means being attentive to the existence and importance of cultural influences in the health field; the component of knowledge, which comprises being acquainted with the diverse features of physical and mental health in different cultures; and the component of expertise, which relates to the ability to demonstrate cultural competence in real situations.  

The program focuses on three different dimensions of cultural competence: 

• Awareness – attention to the existence and importance of cultural influences in the health field. 

• Knowledge – acquaintance with the diverse features of physical and mental health in different cultures. 

• Expertise - the ability to demonstrate cultural competence in real situations.

Along with exposure to a wealth of academic knowledge, the program includes recordings of interviews with experts in the field, short films, and newspaper articles. The program is interactive, brief, and user friendly.
Emergency situations require the rapid establishment of trust between the caregiver and the recipient of care. We are convinced that this program will help the treatment and assistance teams achieve a better understanding of their own selves and of the challenges they face in their encounters with people of different cultures.
In addition to improving the efficacy of medical and psychological treatments, enhancing the cultural competency of the treatment and assistance teams is likely to contribute to reducing social gaps and promoting solidarity.