Several important policy recommendations arise from our review. First, health care
organizations and public health entities should continue to actively engage communities of
color in developing solutions to the problem of health disparities. We found that some of the
most innovative approaches to cultural leverage were borne from active community
involvement. It is in engaging a specific community in the creation of an intervention that
relationships are fostered and health care bridges can materialize. Cooperation at this early
stage of an intervention increases the likelihood of identifying cultural leverage strategies most
likely to be effective, and it ensures the incorporation of both seen and unseen cultural nuances.
Equally important, early community involvement ensures more than superficial support from
the community. This approach entails actively crafting an ongoing relationship with
community members via both health care interactions and related social and cultural activities.