Part 1 (aired 11/06/02): Bringing a new life into the world is made more difficult when the hospital speaks one language and the patient another. Kavitha reports on those who try to bridge the gap in Champaign.

Part 2 (aired 11/14/02): People who don't speak English can find getting healthcare daunting, especially if the translator isn't trained properly. While some call trained interpreters essential, others say they're an unnecessary expense.

Part 3 (aired 12/03/02): As our population becomes more diverse, health care providers are challenged by attitudes toward nutrition and medication that vary widely among different cultures.

Part 4 (aired 12/10/02): Visiting the hospital can be intimidating, with long forms to fill out, health insurance details to remember and the worry of “bad news.” Cultural differences make hospital visits especially trying for growing segments of the U-S population.

Part 5 (aired 03/05/03): Birth and death can be two emotionally trying situations for the health care industry, especially when cultural views and rituals on birth and dying are figured in. Hospitals have to make sure those rituals are not trivialized.

Part 6 (aired 05/27/03): When members of some cultures become ill, they turn to their treatment of choice -- home remedies.  But home remedies can and o as much harm as good -- making it tougher for doctors to treat their patients.  There's a growing need for traditional medical providers to understand cultural medical practices.

Part 7 (aired 05/28/03) The American Medical Association endorses a “cultural competency” model when it comes to care for minority patients. Cultural competency involves taking cultural differences into account during diagnosis and treatment. But there’s a growing awareness among medical providers that cultural competency doesn’t go far enough to give minority patients proper care.  But there's a new emerging model of care - the cultural sensibility model….

Part 8 (aired 05/29/03): Culture plays a part in almost every aspects of healthcare - but when it comes to mental health, it’s crucial doctors understand their patient’s culture and life experiences from places that often times are incredibly different from here in the United States.  Treating the mental illnesses of an increasingly diverse population can be complex…

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