Report of the ASHP Ad Hoc Committee on Ethnic Diversity and Cultural Competence

In June 2003, the Board of Directors of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) established the Ad Hoc Committee on Ethnic Diversity and Cultural Competence as a result of a recommendation of the 2002 Council on Organizational Affairs. The Ad Hoc Committee comprises appointees representing individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and with experience in issues of cultural competence. The specific charges of the Committee were to The Committee held discussions via conference calls and e-mail between June 2003 and August 2004. Committee members also met in person at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting in December 2003. The growth of ethnic minorities, particularly Hispanics and Asians, in the United States over the past years has been phenomenal. Ethnic minorities comprise an estimated 27% of the U.S. population and are projected to constitute 37% in 2025.1 Additional data indicate that...