Investing in Health Literacy to Improve the Healthcare System

Health literacy, the ability to understand and use health information, is essential for improving health outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. Low health literacy leads to poorer health, higher hospitalizations and a greater strain on the healthcare system. According to the Office of Minority Health, vulnerable populations, including older adults, racial and ethnic minorities and those with limited education or income, are disproportionately affected, experiencing higher rates of chronic illness, hospitalizations and preventable complications due to difficulties understanding health information. Investing in health literacy empowers individuals by building personal autonomy. 

AHPA Recognizes That Health Literacy is a Driver of Health

AHPA recognizes health literacy as a driver of health that directly impacts individuals’ ability to make informed health decisions. AHPA emphasizes that improving health literacy is essential for addressing health inequities, particularly in vulnerable communities. The five health systems advocate for strategies that strengthen patient-provider communication, simplify health information and support the development of health literacy skills. By focusing on these approaches, AHPA aims to empower individuals and communities, reduce barriers to care and promote more equitable health outcomes.

Government Investment Can Create Sustainable Solutions for Health Literacy Nationwide

Funding can support:

• Expanding Community-Based Health Education Programs: These initiatives deliver health information through trusted local channels and tailor content to improve understanding of prevention, chronic disease management and healthy behaviors, especially in underserved populations.
• Integrating Health Literacy into School Curricula: Teaching health literacy in K–12 schools provides students with lifelong skills for navigating health information. 
• Funding Digital Tools to Improve Access to Reliable Health Information: Government support for multilingual, user-friendly digital health tools can expand access in underserved areas.

The five AHPA health systems are already leading the way in addressing health literacy within their communities:

AdventHealth is Building Health Literacy Through Community Engagement Partnerships:

• Workforce Development and Education: Through partnerships like Jobs Partnership, AdventHealth University offers LifeWorks Skills Training to underserved communities, providing essential life and job skills that open pathways to healthcare careers and strengthen community health literacy.
• Community Partnership Initiatives: AdventHealth participates in Navy Week annually to promote health awareness through interactive booths and informational sessions. The initiative offers resources on preventive care, addressing low awareness, especially in priority populations relying on word-of-mouth for health information.

LLUH Engages in Targeted Community Outreach and Patient Education:

• Community Health Worker Initiatives: LLUH employs community health workers (CHWs) to improve health literacy. Serving as trusted liaisons between providers and patients, CHWs help individuals navigate the healthcare system, understand medical instructions and access essential services. 
• Health Literacy Screening Tool: “Out the Door Dinosaur” is a quality improvement project by nurses at Loma Linda University Children’s Health to enhance discharge education and support health literacy for surgical patients. It assesses patients’ health literacy and tailors educational materials to ensure clarity, accessibility and actionability, aiming to improve understanding, care plan adherence and outcomes.

Adventist Health Strengthens Community Well-Being Through Targeted Health Education: 

• Health Education Events: Adventist Health offers a program called Speakers Bureau that provides community lectures and health education events to promote awareness of various health topics among attendees. 
• Community Resource Centers: The Extra Step Community Resource Center in Los Angeles helps underserved Hispanic communities through bilingual health education, healthcare navigation, improving health literacy and empowering individuals to manage their health and communicate with providers.

Adventist HealthCare Advances Health Literacy by Training Staff in Cross-Cultural Communication:

• Cultural Competency Training: Adventist HealthCare’s Center on Health Disparities in Rockville, Maryland, provides cultural competence education and training to healthcare providers and staff. This initiative enhances cross-cultural communication, ensuring effective interactions with diverse patient populations and improving health literacy through better understanding.

Kettering Health is Improving Health Literacy Through Early Education and Personalized Healthcare Navigation: 

• Reading Allies Partnership: In partnership with the Miami Valley Leadership Foundation, Kettering Health supports the Reading Allies program at West Carrollton’s Early Childhood Center, providing first-graders with focused reading and phonics support. Early reading skills are key to developing health literacy and making informed health decisions later in life.
• Healthcare Navigator Program: Launched in January 2022, this free, confidential program offers personalized guidance to help individuals navigate the healthcare system and access primary care, mental health and social services, ultimately improving health literacy.

The Opportunity to Transform Health Literacy

Investing in health literacy solutions is essential for building healthier, more informed communities. Improved health literacy leads to better decision-making, increased patient engagement and reduced healthcare disparities. By addressing communication barriers and promoting accessible information, we can enhance public health outcomes across communities. Stakeholders, from policymakers to healthcare providers, must act to support strategies that make health literacy a national priority.

Additional Resources:

• Community Impact 
• Community Health Workers / Promotores Academy
• Building Readers. Cultivating Community.
• Healthcare Navigator
• CHW Integration