The Literacy Coalition of Central Texas
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Health Literacy
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Why Health Literacy?

The definition of health literacy has developed into more than just the ability to read health information. The most widely accepted definition today is, "The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.”
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Research from the American Medical Association found that "poor health literacy is a stronger predictor of a person's health than age, income, employment status, education level and race."
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Furthermore, an estimated 90 million Americans suffer from low health literacy, consequently creating an average of $7500 more in healthcare costs for the individual and between $50-73 billion more for the US Healthcare system.
 

The Literacy Coalition's Response:

The Literacy Coalition of  Central Texas has implemented the Health Literacy Initiative to address the issue of low health literacy in Central Texas.  The Initiative forms strategic partnerships with healthcare providers and adult education institutions in order to raise awareness and promote strategies to improve patient-provider communication, and thus improve the health of our community members.  The Health Literacy Initiative's primary method of addressing poor health communication is to hold health literacy trainings for both adult educators and healthcare professionals. 

 

Adult Educators:

Health literacy trainings for adult education instructors will cover teaching methods and lesson planning strategies to incorporate health-related information into the classroom, helping students become self-advocates of their health and that of their families. The Literacy Coalition customizes trainings to meet individual organization needs or invites instructors to attend a centrally located workshop (dates and locations listed below). Attendants are asked to download the Health Literacy Instructional Manual (link at bottom of page) which includes lesson planning guides, and sample health-related lessons and activities.

 

Instructors' Endorsements: 

  • Our company is just getting started. I am not sure what and how we are going to be able to incorporate but we are thrilled to get all the information presented 
  • I was health illiterate before but now I feel enlightened and comfortable to teach my students.  
  • Great tools to help guide instructors; playing games made me feel more prepared/comfortable with the materials.

 

 Healthcare Providers:

Health literacy workshops are available for healthcare providers in Central Texas and state-wide. Workshops focus on understanding health literacy and its importance, informally assessing patient literacy levels, and strategies to improve patient-provider communication for both direct service providers and administrative staff.  Workshops are customized to individual clinics/organizations/groups needs in regards to length of workshop, focus of information and scenarios/examples used. 

Healthcare Providers' Endorsements:

  • Great, informative, interactive training!
  • Great speaker and presenter of this program.
  • I can’t think of any improvements needed. Excellent course! I don’t see any improvements needed because I now know a lot more about health literacy!


Central Adult Educator Workshops:

DATES: July 14 and August 11
TIME: 9:30 - 1:30 (with working lunch)
LOCATION: Austin Community College Highland Business Center, Room 407

 

 

Want to learn more, attend or schedule a training?

Please Contact:

Peter Morrison 
Health Literacy Specialist
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
512-320-4505
 

 
Click here to be directed to the Downloads section to print the Health Literacy Instructional Manual or the 2010 Central Texas Healthcare Resource Directory - a guide to public benefits in Central Texas, hospitals and clinics that accept those benefits, and where undocumented and uninsured persons can receive healthcare.

 

Thank you to our friends at
St Davids