Return-Path: <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id gAQFnnX24185; Tue, 26 Nov 2002 10:49:49 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 10:49:49 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <410-2200211226155258468@earthlink.net> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Debbie Yoho" <dwyoho@earthlink.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3812] RE: prenatal health literacy X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Mailer: EarthLink MailBox 2003.1.12.0 (Windows) Status: O Content-Length: 4536 Lines: 98 Welcome, Lisa. I hope the many participants on this list will be able to add their advice. Sincerely, Deborah W. Yoho Co-moderator, NIFL-Health Listserv President, SC Adult Literacy Educators Executive Director, Greater Columbia Literacy Council 2728 Devine Street, Columbia, SC 29205 803-765-2555 Fax 803-779-8417 dwyoho@earthlink.net > [Original Message] > From: Lisa Bernstein <lisa.expect@verizon.net> > To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> > Date: 11/25/2002 3:07:26 PM > Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3811] prenatal health literacy > > Hi, I've just joined this listerve and wanted to introduce myself and > ask advice as we translate research into practice. > > First an introduction: > > 1. I'm the Ex. Dir. of The What To Expect Foundation, a relatively new > non-profit that takes its name from the nation's bestselling pregnancy > and parenting series that includes What To Expect When You're Expecting. > The entire series has sold over 20 million copies and is read by 93% of > all mother who buy a pregnancy guide. > > 2. The Foundation's mission is to provide prenatal health and literacy > education to low-income mothers. We started this project because many > clinics across the country requested donations of the What To Expect > books - we felt that book did not meet the needs of low-income moms and > wanted to create a guide just for them. > > 3. Last year we published BABY BASICS: Your Month By Month Guide To A > Health Pregnancy, a comprehensive pregnancy guide that takes into > account the reading level as well as the special health, economic, > social, and cultural needs of low-income pregnant women (and fathers > to-be ). We spent two years working with outreach workers and mothers > across the country to design the book. 100,000 free copies were given to > pre-natal clinics, community health centers and outreach worker programs > across the country last year. And then we watched how they were used by > both providers and mothers. We've also just completed a Spanish cultural > and linguistic translation as well. > > 4. We've had an overwhelmingly positive response to the book - (and have > orders for 400,000) but it is clear that just putting a good book out > there isn't enough. Many health care providers needed help ...learning > about health literacy issues, and best practices for teaching > low-literate patients. > > 5. So, we are now creating a BABY BASICS prenatal health literacy > program that helps pre-natal care providers integrate the latest in > health literacy research and teaching skills into their care -- In > addition to the book, the program has a training component, an > implementation and curriculum guide, and other materials for providers > and patients. > > 6. Part of our goal, too, is to get pregnant women reading - because A > Mother Who Can Read Can Raise A Child Who Can Read. So we will be > networking pre-natal clinics with adult ed programs that will teach > women prenatal literacy. Which happily flows into family/parenting > literacy. While we continue to distribute the BABY BASICS book across > the country, we are beginning to create BABY BASICS sites. This winter > we're starting in Newark, NJ by providing training and support to create > model BABY BASICS sites. > > Here comes the question part of this email. We are creating a tool, > we're calling it a literacy audit, that will help providers - and by > that I mean anyone who provides prenatal health and education support-- > to help them do a literacy walkthrough of their site and do a "fix." > We've suggested they look at their signage - from the entrance way to > the individual offices. We've suggested they look at their intake form, > and other written materials and are giving them the tools to test the > reading level (and giving them already tested forms they can use > instead) We've asked them to look at their waiting room --- and add > children's books for older siblings. > > So in the research and collective wisdom of this listerve, my question > is--- what are the less obvious things a health care program should look > at when they create a "literacy friendly pre-natal site?" What would be > in your wish list? > > Thanks in advance > Lisa Bernstein > PS. If you're interested in seeing our program feel free to email me at > lisab@whattoexpect.org and/or visit our web site at www.whattoexpect.org > > Lisa Bernstein > Executive Director > The What To Expect Foundation > 212-712-9764 > lisab@whattoexpect.org
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