1. Health Literacy Texas Tech University 3 rd Annual Conference on Cultural Competency March 2014

2. What is health literacy? The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information needed to make appropriate health decisions and services needed to prevent or treat illness. (http://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/healthliteracy/healthlitabout.html(http://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/healthliteracy/healthlitabout.html)

3. In plainer language: Health literacy means peoples ability to get, understand and use information to improve or treat health.

4. Low health literacy is more prevalent among: Older adults Minority populations Those who have low socioeconomic status Medically underserved people (http://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/healthliteracy/healthlitabout.html)http://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/healthliteracy/healthlitabout.html

5. Patients with low health literacy may have difficulty: Locating providers and services Filling out complex health forms Sharing their medical history with providers Seeking preventive health care Knowing the connection between risky behaviors and health Managing chronic health conditions Understanding directions on medicine (http://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/healthliteracy/healthlitabout.html)http://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/healthliteracy/healthlitabout.html

6. Patients health literacy may be affected if they have: Health care providers who use words that patients dont understand Low educational skills Cultural barriers to health care Limited English Proficiency (LEP) (http://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/healthliteracy/healthlitabout.html)http://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/healthliteracy/healthlitabout.html

7. How health care professionals can help: Ask patients to explain your instructions (teach back method) or demonstrate the procedure Ask questions that begin with how and what, rather than closed-ended yes/no questions Reflect the age, cultural, ethnic and racial diversity of patients For Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients, provide information in their primary language Improve the physical environment by using lots of universal symbols (http://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/healthliteracy/healthlitabout.html)http://www.hrsa.gov/publichealth/healthliteracy/healthlitabout.html

8. Reflect the age, cultural, ethnic and racial diversity of patients National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (National CLAS Standards) https://www.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/content/clas.asp

9. For Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients, provide information in their primary language Clinical staff with strong Spanish speaking skills Properly trained interpreters

10. Worksheet

11. Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBLuaoGXOBg

12. The $70 Million Word It is best to provide services by trained interpreters.

13. Tool The Silent Crisis: How to Do Outreach in an Anti-Immigrant Climate http://www.outreach- partners.org/other/anti-immigrant- climate

15. Worksheet

16. Contact Information Lorena Sprager Lorena Sprager and Associates, LLC Clear Language Group lsprager@gorge.net 541-386-4113