NPCW 2005 Health Literacy Resources

The Center for the Health Professions

Provides information about cultural and linguistic competency standards and language services.

Plain Language

A great health literacy resource to improve your patient communication. Contains reference tips, guidelines, word suggestions, and examples of plain language texts.

IOM Report - Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion (2004)

This report addresses the issues surrounding health literacy and offers solid information and suggestions to improve and end the confusion of health literacy and communication.

Ask Me 3

Great health literacy resource for both patients and health care providers, describing the important of health literacy on all parts.

Health Literacy Out Loud

Provides a collection of audio interviews with health literacy leaders and professionals sharing anecdotes full of passion and information about health communication. A unique opportunity to eavesdrop on conversations with outstanding health literacy advocates.

Health Literacy Consulting

Provides training and support to professionals to learn how to clearly communicate health messages. Also, a great resource for health literacy tips, information, presentations, and more.

The Center for the Health Professions

This site provides a plethora of resources that not only encourage, but also provides information and solutions to overcome the challenge of language as a barrier in medicine. Such resources include: facts, statistics, brochures and other materials in multiple languages, contacts to professional language services, training materials, case studies, and outlines of the laws and standards designed specifically for multicultural health.

Health Compass

A user friendly, easy to read site for elderly people, that teaches the aging population how to find health information on the Internet, how to evaluate this information using the site's glossary and library, and how to play an active role in their health decisions.

Health Literacy Month: October 1-31, 2005

Learn about grassroots efforts to increase health literacy awareness nationwide and in your community; locate others who can be resources to your projects, find posters, postcards, and other materials that can be shared and distributed in your community, and visit other links related to health literacy.

HRSA (Health Resources & Services Administration)

This website is a great resource to learn about the many facets of health literacy, and includes summaries of programs across the nation that promote and achieve HRSA's goals to "improve and expand access to quality health care for all."

AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

This website elaborates on the definition of health literacy; specifically, how it is measured and who is affected by it.

California Health Literacy Initiative

Check out the health literacy resource center for an eclectic array of information intended for everyone from health care professionals and policy makers, to adult literacy and ESL students.

AMA (American Medical Association)

This site outlines how the AMA is addressing the issue of health literacy, and includes a tool kit, a video rated by physicians as the most effective tool in raising awareness about low-literacy health concerns, and downloadable patient brochures and additional materials.

Picture Stories for Adult ESL Health Literacy

Provides examples of cartoons used to educate low-literacy peoples on health and personal well-being and tips on how to initiate dialogues about literacy.

Health Literacy Studies at Harvard

This site serves as a resource to learn more about health literacy in academia. Online slide presentations are available.

DiversityRX

Promoting language and cultural competence to improve the quality of health care for minority, immigrant, and ethnically diverse communities.

Improving Patient Care through Health Literacy

Learn more about health literacy and current solutions, including new educational materials, clinical trials, community initiatives, conferences, etc.

Virginia Health Literacy Tool Kit

Site provides online handbook for health professionals, teachers, ESL teachers, and others to learn more about what barriers to health literacy are, ways to overcome them, and resources to help patients.

LINCS Health & Literacy Special Collection

This site provides health information in simple vocabulary and in other languages, statistics on the relationship between literacy and health status, links to other health literacy resources, and health curricula for ESL classes.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

For patients

EnglishForum.com

HealthFinder.gov - good resource for the entire family; includes sections in Spanish

Solid statistical evidence regarding importance of health literacy

National Institute For Literacy

Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc - Health Literacy and Understanding Medical Information (PDF)

National Network of Libraryies of Medicine - Health Literacy

AMSA health literacy resources

What Others are Doing to Eliminate Health Disparities

Health Disparities Fact Sheets

Community and Public Health Institute Proposed Projects