Health Literacy San Diego is developing a health literacy
curricula for local literacy programs and community based
organizations to improve access to healthcare for English as a
second language speakers, adults who read below a third grade
level, and older adults.
The health literacy curriculum was developed based on the Office
of Vocational and Adult Education's Research-based Health
Literacy Materials and Instruction Guide, and has been adapted
and customized to meet San Diego's unique population and health
needs.
The health literacy curriculum will be pilot tested at
Sweetwater Union High School District and READ/San Diego Adult
Literacy Program of the San Diego Public Library in October 2011
and available to literacy programs and community organizations in
early 2012.
The curriculum can be used by adult literacy tutors and adult
education classroom teachers as well anyone in the healthcare field
who educates patients (e.g. health educators, community outreach
workers, etc.). The curriculum will include strategies for teaching
low health literate adults to:
- Complete healthcare forms, comprehend healthcare information,
and learn common healthcare vocabulary
- Ask the right questions of practitioners before leaving the
doctor's office
- Navigate the healthcare system
The curriculum may be adapted for use in various literacy and
healthcare settings. Literacy programs, adult schools,
library-based programs, community-based organizations, and
healthcare organizations will be able to deliver the curriculum in
classrooms, workshops or seminars.
Health Literacy San Diego will not provide direct instruction to
adult learners/patients; rather, train-the-trainer programs will be
available for literacy and healthcare professionals so they can, in
turn, determine how best to implement the curriculum in their
respective settings. These train-the-trainer sessions will
include:
- An in depth look at health literacy and who is at risk
(including research and current statistics)
- An introduction to the free health literacy curriculum
available at http://healthliteracynetwork.org/materials/
and strategies for implementation in literacy programs and
healthcare organizations
- Lesson planning and use of supplemental instructional materials
and resources
- Learner/patient pre- and post-test evaluation strategies
If you are interested in learning more or would like to be
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here.