Cultural Competence or "culturally competent" means the ability to recognize and respond to health-related beliefs and cultur- al values, disease incidence and prevalence, and treatment efficacy. Examples of culturally competent care include striving to overcome cultural, language, and communications barriers, providing an environ- ment in which individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds feel com- fortable discussing their cultural health beliefs and practices in the context of negotiating treatment options, encouraging individuals to express their spiritual beliefs and cultural practices, and being fa- miliar with and respectful of various traditional healing systems and beliefs and, where appropriate, integrating these approaches into treatment plans.
Competencies means powers given to a public authority in respect of a specific activity which is key to ensuring the provision of a public service and includes powers of planning, regulating, setting standards, constructing, financing, managing, monitoring and evaluating, sanctioning or intervening in any way to ensure that a function is discharged;
Cultural Competency means the ability to recognize, respect, and address the unique needs, worth, thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs and values that reflect an individual’s racial, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, and/or social group.
Essential Human Needs means natural gas service, which, if denied, would cause shutdown of an operation resulting in the closing of the establishment essential to maintaining the health and safety of the general public.
Substantial or essential component means any component necessary for the proper function or performance of a piece of equipment, system, or service.