Hello all

In the context of the stimulating discussion over the last few days regarding 
labeling of “at-risk” patients, I would like to share the most recent version 
of The Calgary Charter on Health Literacy: Rationale and Core Principles for 
the Development of Health Literacy Curricula, posted at 
http://www.centreforliteracy.qc.ca/Healthlitinst/Calgary_Charter_Oct_09.pdf.

This document was drafted and revised over the past year by six individuals* 
who attended the October 2008 Institute on Health Literacy Curricula in 
Calgary, co-hosted by The Centre for Literacy of Quebec.  The Charter 
proposes a definition and understanding of health literacy and a set of core 
principles to support the development of curricula and evaluation tools that 
improve the health literacy for diverse audiences and purposes.  It 
specifically avoids labeling any groups and assumes that health literacy 
touches individuals and health systems, and while expressed differently in 
different contexts, is always based on the same underlying skills and 
abilities.  There is considerable consistency between these principles and 
the ones in a proposed US Health Literacy National Action Plan that were 
presented by Cynthia Baur last week at the Georgia Health Literacy Symposium. 

We have shared earlier drafts with this list and with participants at 
selected conferences and events, and have incorporated the feedback we 
received.  We will give anyone interested the chance to sign on to the 
Charter in the coming days.  In the meantime, we welcome your thoughts about 
if or how you might use these principles in your own curriculum or evaluation 
work.  

* Charter authors, alphabetically
•	Clifford Coleman, M.D.    colemanc at ohsu.edu
Oregon Health & Science University

•	Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi, M.Ed.sabrina_kurtz-rossi at comcast.net
Kurtz-Rossi & Associates

•	Julie McKinney, M.S.      julie_mcKinney at worlded.org
World Education, Inc.

•	Andrew Pleasant, Ph.D.     pleasant at AESOP.Rutgers.edu
Canyon Ranch Institute & Rutgers University

•	Irving Rootman, Ph.D.      irootman at telus.net
University of Victoria, British Columbia

•	Linda Shohet, Ph.D.       ed at centreforliteracy.qc.ca
The Centre for Literacy of Quebec



Linda Shohet


--
Linda Shohet, PhD
Executive Director
The Centre for Literacy of Quebec
2100 Marlowe Avenue, Suite 236
Montreal, Quebec
Canada, H4A 3L5
Tel.:(514) 798-5601, ext. 24
Fax: (514) 798-5602
E-mail: ed at centreforliteracy.qc.ca
Web site: www.centreforliteracy.qc.ca