Last week I attended the National Coalition for Literacy's policy forum,
"Health Literacy: Dual Problem, Dual Solution."  Unfortunately, I had to
leave before the breakout groups that brainstormed ideas for
collaboration between the adult literacy and health communities met. I
thought I would use this listserv to profile a couple of examples of
successful collaboration.

In Iowa there is a four-year collaboration between the Iowa Health
System and the New Readers of Iowa. I had the privilege to attend their
joint conference last spring
(http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/The_Iowa_New_Readers_of_Iowa_Coa
lition_Conference:_Building_Health_Literacy_Leaders). New Readers shared
experiences about what it was like for them when they accessed the
health system. New Readers also reported the ease of way-finding when
they conducted a facility walk-through. Health professionals
participating in a Health Literacy Collaborative described getting input
from New Readers when simplifying their informed consent forms. Pharmacy
students conducted brown bag medication reviews for New Readers. Health
Professionals practiced health communication skills with New Readers in
role playing exercises (e.g., giving patient discharge instructions).
Mary Ann Abrams (Iowa Health System) and Archie Willard (New Readers of
Iowa) deserve a huge amount of credit for their joint undertakings. 

In New York City community-based literacy programs and health providers
have created health literacy partnerships. Elyse Barbell Rudolph, of
NY's Literacy Assistance Center, is one of the powerful forces behind
this collaboration. The literacy programs implemented Rima Rudd's Health
Literacy Study Circles
(www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy/curricula.html), resulting in 20%
of class time being devoted to health literacy topics. Health educators
and administrators visited classes, and hosted field trips to
facilities. Health providers also educated their staff about health
literacy. A speaker at the NCL policy forum (was it Dr. Lynn Nielsen??)
mentioned research indicating that adult learners who study health
topics learn faster than those studying other topics.

I hope those working on the local level will take inspiration from these
examples and share some of their own.

Cindy Brach
Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
540 Gaither Road
Rockville, MD  20850
phone: 301-427-1444
fax: (301) 427-1430
Cindy.Brach at ahrq.hhs.gov

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