Structural competency in New Mexico: Moving outside of medical education

In 2019, the Dona Ana Wellness Institute (DAWI), Dona Ana County, New Mexico's health council, sponsored two trainings in structural competency by the Structural Competency Working Group. One focused on health care professionals and learners; the other focused on government, non-profit organisations, and elected officials. DAWI and New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) representatives attended the trainings and identified the structural competency model as useful for the health equity work both groups were already engaging. These trainings provided the foundation for DAWI and HSD to develop additional trainings, programmes, and curricula founded on structural competency and focused on supporting health equity work. This article describes how DAWI and HSD used the structural competency framework to deepen our work, including how we have expanded the concept beyond its original orientation to support strategic planning, improve communication, and build structurally competent communities. We illustrate how the framework strengthened our existing community and state work and how we adapted the model to better fit our work. Adaptations included changes in language, the use of the lived experiences of organisation members as a foundation for structural competency education, and a recognition that policy work happens at multiple levels and in multiple ways for organisations.

Automated summary

In 2019, the Dona Ana Wellness Institute sponsored two trainings in structural competency. Representatives from the institute and the New Mexico Human Services Department attended the trainings and found the structural competency model useful for their health equity work. Based on the trainings, the institute and department developed additional programs and curricula to support health equity work. The article describes how the organizations used the framework to strengthen their existing work and adapt the model to fit their needs, including language changes and incorporating lived experiences.