Dear Discussion List Participants, 

Today, the National Institute for Literacy is moving the Health and Literacy discussion lists to a fully moderated format. Our goal is to enhance professional development for educators and practitioners through ongoing opportunities to learn, discuss, and reflect on critical literacy issues. 

There will be no significant changes in the way you receive your discussion list mail.  Each list will have a moderator who will facilitate dialogue about the latest literacy research and its applications to instructional practice; promising policies and practices -- in addition to promoting the exchange of ideas, resources, and experience.  The moderator will review messages posted to the list daily, prior to releasing it to subscribers.  Please review the Discussion List Guidelines at http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/list_guidelines.html for more information.  

As subscribers, you can continue to post to the list, the list email address is: healthliteracy at dev.nifl.gov

The purpose of the Health and Literacy discussion list is to provide an on-going professional development forum where literacy practitioners, healthcare providers, health educators, researchers, policy makers, and others can discuss literacy issues in health education programs and in health care settings; health education efforts being undertaken within literacy programs; literacy screening measures being piloted in health care settings and the readability of health materials. The list is moderated by Julie McKinney, with the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy.  

We encourage discussion list participants to focus your contributions to the Focus on Basics list. Your comments, suggestions, references, and ideas posted to the discussion lists continue serve as resources for enhancing the field's capacity and knowledge base.  We encourage open discourse and an exchange of information, ideas, and practices among all list subscribers.  As in the past, differences in perspectives and ideas are welcome, especially when they are voiced in the spirit of inquiry, curiosity, and mutual respect.  

Thank you for your dedication to this online community.  We look forward to sharing and learning with you.   

Sincerely, 
Tanya Shuy and Mary Jo Maralit 
National Institute for Literacy