October is Health Literacy Month!
Each October, the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) and several other health agencies come together to promote health literacy for both healthcare organizations and the individuals they serve.
Health literacy empowers people to understand health information and use that information to make well-informed decisions.
Personal health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand and use information and services to inform health-related actions for themselves and others. Organizational health literacy is the degree to which organizations equitably enable individuals to achieve these goals.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Action Plan to improve health literacy seeks to engage organizations, professionals, policymakers, communities, individuals and families in a collaborative effort to improve health literacy.
The Action Plan is based on the principles that:
all people have the right to health information that helps them make informed decisions and
health services should be delivered in ways that are easy to understand and that improve health, longevity and quality of life.
It also contains seven goals:
Develop and disseminate health and safety information that is accurate, accessible and actionable.
Promote changes in the healthcare system that improve health information, communication, informed decision-making and access to health services.
Incorporate accurate, standards-based and developmentally appropriate health and science information and curricula in childcare and education through the university level.
Support and expand local efforts to provide adult education, English language instruction, and culturally and linguistically appropriate health information services in the community.
Build partnerships, develop guidance and change policies.
Increase basic research and the development, implementation and evaluation of practices and interventions to improve health literacy.
Increase the dissemination and use of evidence-based health literacy practices and interventions.
This means it will take everyone working together to make health literacy a priority — and ultimately improve health outcomes across the nation. To learn more about how you can help spread the word, please click on these links from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion:
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