| Summary: | This article discusses the linguistic and cultural barriers the Hmong encounter when they attempt to access the health care delivery system in Merced County, California. The theoretical portion of the article discusses the concepts of culture, culture change, and some psychological issues that result from culture contact. Western biomedicine is viewed as
a cultural system. Following this theoretical section, the cultural and linguistic barriers confronted by the Hmong when they attempt the access health care in Merced are discussed as well as some successful programs in the development of culturally sensitive health care. These include the Southeast Asian Surgical Coordination Team and the Culture Broker Team. The last part of the article covers, in some detail, a
multidisciplinary program in cross-cultural health which is being implemented by health workers in Merced County.
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