Welcome/Conference Overview

Speaker

Michael Villaire, MSLM
Institute for Healthcare Advancement

Plenary: Coronavirus and Health Literacy/Health Equity:
How Are We Responding?

11:15 AM - 12:45 PM EST

Overview

The COVID-19 pandemic is upon us. How has the health literacy community responded? Have we taken a leadership role? Have we used our knowledge and skills to ensure clear, effective communication? Have we worked to reduce health disparities and advance health equity? When this pandemic is behind us—if it ever is—what will be our legacy?

Speaker

Viki Lorraine, MS
Michigan Department of Education

Health + Literacy + English: Building Partnerships to Increase Health Literacy in Adult Learners

Overview

This workshop will expose attendees to a unique partnership to incorporate health into adult basic education and English language learner programs. It will illustrate how recent health literacy summer programs for refugees arose out of earlier partnerships. Lessons learned about barriers and facilitators to partnerships and programming will be examined. Participants will have the opportunity to identify partnerships they might build in their local areas, specific to student needs. Participants will leave the workshop with tools for building partnerships and meeting adult learner needs, including removing barriers and leveraging funding.

Speaker

Doris Ravotas, PhD
Western Michigan University

Enabling Effective, Interprofessional Communication With Patients and Families for Safe, Quality Care

Overview

In health care, patients often work with multiple healthcare professions and providers. Patients are often expected to communicate between healthcare providers, the couriers of healthcare information, or make sense of information given by multiple providers. Interprofessional collaboration can better enable good engagement and health literacy by facilitating unified, consistent information that focuses on the patients’ needs and knowledge. This workshop will look at health literacy and interprofessional collaboration together, providing an opportunity for participants to learn skills to foster collaboration across professionals, sectors and health specialties.

Speakers

Farrah Schwartz, MA
University Health Network

Tracy Paulenko, BScPT, MSc
University Health Network

Science Activation: Moving Beyond Science Communication To Getting the Science Used

Overview

Like past catastrophic natural disasters, the pandemic is damaging society where it was already weak. Scientific information is critical for society to use to make better decisions for our safety and wellbeing. Unfortunately, it is often ignored because decision makers sometimes do not understand the information and more importantly do not feel empowered to use it. We need science activation, a process of not just communicating the information, but also ongoing collaboration with policy-makers. Through this collaboration, solutions to complex problems that encompass societal objectives and physical requirements can be created. This talk explores insights from previous disasters and Dr. Jones’s work in earthquake science and seismic safety policy about the challenges to effective activation of scientific knowledge and approaches scientists and decision makers can take to work together more effectively. After this talk, attendees will understand: How the demands of peer review influence communication within the science research culture. How evolutionary pressures have shaped human response to crisis information. How the human ability to recognize and manipulate patterns controls the emotional response to randomness.

Speaker

Lucy Jones, PhD

Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society

Welcome

Speaker

Diana Peña Gonzalez, MPH, CHES
Institute for Healthcare Advancement

Plenary: COVID-19 Stories: How the Pandemic Has Widened Existing Health Gaps

11:15 AM - 12:45 PM EST

Overview

The novel coronavirus pandemic has significantly magnified a long-existing problem. Certain communities—including those of color, of disabilities, of lower incomes and education—have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. While these people have struggled and suffered, their struggle has remained invisible to many. This plenary will showcase their unedited stories to unveil their challenges with staying safe during the pandemic, greater housing insecurity, lack of insurance, and legal status. And, having exposed inequities and their perceived consequences, these stories will illustrate the necessity for meaningful discussion long after the pandemic is over.

Speakers

Moderator: Stan Hudson, MA, CDFT
Wisconsin Health Literacy

Panelist: Ana Chavez
La Habra Family Resource Center

Chris Stigas
Patient Partner, University Health Network

Ernesta Wright
The G.R.E.E.N. Foundation

Suzy Newby, MA, CCC-SLP
Genesis Rehab Services

The Bridge to Understanding: Building Accessibility into Health Literate Materials -An Introduction

Overview

Increasingly, patients receive information on their smartphones, via websites, or through electronic health records. But even expertly-written, well-designed materials might inadvertently include content that is partially or entirely inaccessible to users with disabilities. In this session, we'll cover issues users often face and common practices that lead to digital inaccessibility in Microsoft Work and PowerPoint. Attendees will learn basic techniques to create meaningful visuals and content that are screenreader-friendly, while still employing health-literate practices. To augment the session, we'll also provide a resource list and links to accessible templates.

Speaker

Kelli Ham, MLIS
University of California, Los Angeles

What's Stigma Got to Do With It? Using Person First Language to Counteract Stigma in Healthcare

Overview

This breakout session focuses on the impact of stigma on patients’ ability to access healthcare and their overall health outcomes. Largely focusing on discussion, this session will empower participants to develop their understanding of stigma and how it informs the patient experience. Attendees will build skills for using person first language to combat stigma within the healthcare setting.

Speakers

Kristen MacKay, MPH
University of Rochester, Center for Community Practice

Megan Honeck

Clarity Through Creativity: Using Group Discovery To Create Compelling Campaigns

Overview

Robust understanding of audiences, goals, key messages, and descriptors leads to clearer visual, verbal, and written communication. Learn how to engage stakeholders in the creative discovery process in order to develop impactful health-related campaigns while also building important listening relationships and having fun. In this session, we’ll work through a health project campaign as a group to demonstrate how to lead discovery processes, ending with a creative strategy brief and project implementation plan.

Speaker

Megan Pugmire, BA
Oregon Health and Science University

Welcome

Speaker

Julie McKinney
Institute for Healthcare Advancement

Plenary: Addressing COVID 10 Inequities - Strategies to Rebuild our Nation for an Inclusive Future

11:15 AM - 12:45 PM EST

Overview

Action is needed to help those most affected by COVID-19 to prepare for subsequent waves and to address the long standing issue of inequities. What advances are needed in policy, advocacy, and education to address these issues? How do we engage and educate the community and what is their role in this process? How can communities work with the city and government for an interagency collaboration?

Speakers

Moderator: Wilma Alvarado-Little
New York State Department of Health, Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Prevention

Speakers: Janet Ohene-Frempong, MS
Institute for Healthcare Advancement

Teresa Wagner, DRPH, MS, CPH, RD/LD, CHWI
SaferCare Texas

The 2/20 Rule for Writing Readable Materials

Overview

Absolutely everything can be explained at the 6th grade reading level. If you doubt that, this session is for you. The simple formula is 2 syllables and 20 words per sentence. We will show how this works, how to check your work, and how to work with the legal department!

Speaker

Carol Simila, M.Ed.
Oregon Health Authority

Crafting Health Messages That Stick: From Theory, Research, and Health Literacy Best Practices

Overview

We have much to consider when developing health messages. Not only do we want our communications to be clear, we want them to be creative, engaging, and memorable. And most importantly, we want our messages to change people’s behavior in a positive way. That’s a tall order. But don’t worry. During this interactive workshop, we’ll unpack the art and science of designing effective health messages. We’ll review relevant behavior change theories, discuss how to involve your audience in message development and testing, and explore the roles of visual and interaction design in message retention.

Speakers

Corinne Berry, MA
Communicate Health, Inc.

Ariana Skye-Babbott
Communicate Health, Inc.

The Language of COVID-19: What’s Gone Wrong and How We Do Better

Overview

The coronavirus and COVID-19 disease have highlighted the central role of communication in public health emergencies and disasters. Information about the virus and disease—who's affected and why, protective behaviors, and consequences—have become so overwhelming and confusing that the World Health Organization declared an "infodemic of misinformation." Given that the basic structure of crisis and emergency response messaging is well-known in public health, how did COVID-19 communication go so wrong? How can health literacy and health communication practitioners contribute to a healthier information environment? This presentation will review the basic principles of clear and useful risk messages, examine examples of virus and COVID-19 information, and diagram improvements.

Speaker

Cynthia Baur, PhD
Horowitz Center for Health Literacy, School of Public Health, University of Maryland

Welcome

Speaker

Casey Mank
Center for Plain Language

Plenary: Plain Language: Increasing Understanding & Providing Social Justice

11:15 AM - 12:45 PM EST

Overview

Communicating in plain language helps people find, understand, and use information—allowing them to more successfully navigate complex topics and make better, more informed decisions. In this talk, Dr. Rima Rudd will introduce how plain language can provide greater clarity and, in turn, pave the way to more socially just outcomes. Next, Dr. Barbra Kingsley will provide an overview of plain language principles and outline current plain language legislation. She will then demonstrate how the Center for Plain Language’s annual report card is helping government agencies accept the burden of responsibility for making critical information more accessible to the public. Throughout, we will draw implications for health-related issues and services, demonstrating how plain language is critical for creating access and providing social justice.

Speaker

Barbra Kingsley, PhD
Kleimann

Rima Rudd, ScD
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Health-Literate Website Redesigns: Set Yourself Up for Success

Overview

In today’s world, people seek health information online every day. Unfortunately, outdated or poorly-designed websites can be a barrier to accessing reliable, high-quality content—especially for people with lower health literacy skills.

In this session, you’ll learn how to implement a website redesign from beginning to end: from setting goals and getting buy-in to designing for accessibility. Whether you’re working with a large, national organization or a small non-profit on a shoestring budget, we’ll share evidence-based tips and tricks to smooth the process and help you create a well-designed, user-friendly website.

Speakers

Emily Brostek, MPH, CHES

Kim Hassell, MPH
Communicate Health, Inc.

Identify Strategies and Create a Plan for Selling Health Literacy: A Hands-on Work Session

Overview

Are you sometimes unsure how to explain the benefits of health literacy to get others on board? Or maybe you’ve been successful in selling health literacy in some areas but want new ideas to be more effective and confident? And because you’re so busy, it’s hard to find time to sit down and plan what to do next. This session provides: 1) an overview of seven powerful strategies and resources to get attention, build the case, and make the case; 2) a quiz and worksheets to identify what you could do next; and 3) structured time to create your plan.

Speakers

Audrey Riffenburgh, PhD
Health Literacy Connections

Health Literacy Ethics in Public Health Emergencies

Overview

Public Health Emergencies like COVID-19 put additional strain on health communication. Some populations at higher risk of infection are also populations who face health literacy burdens. I review three ethical challenges to effective communication in public health emergencies. I explain health literacy strategies for addressing these challenges. And I offer some suggestions for communicating time-sensitive health information effectively.

Speakers

Jamie Carlin Watson, PhD
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine

Welcome

Speaker

Diana Peña Gonzalez, MPH, CHES
Institute for Healthcare Advancement

Plenary: Addressing COVID-19 Inequities: Mapping the Work Ahead- Results From the Workgroup Surveys

11:15 AM - 12:45 PM EST

Overview

Throughout the week attendees will have an opportunity to share thoughts and suggestions about pandemic factors that exacerbate health disparities, solutions that can create a sustainable impact, and pandemic factors that exacerbate health disparities, solutions that can create a sustainable impact, and ways the health literacy community can respond to the pandemic.

These issues were viewed through the lens of practice/research and policy/advocacy. This plenary will present the findings from these work group surveys to encourage discussion and action in our work ahead.

Speakers

Marian Ryan, PhD, MA, MPH
Institute for Healthcare Advancement

Rachel Roberts, MPH, CHES
Institute for Healthcare Advancement

Joy Deupree, PhD, APRN, WHNP-BC
University of South Carolina, College of Nursing

Lakesha Kinnerson, MPH, RHIA, CPHQ
Samford University, School of Public Health

Conference Wrap-up

Speakers

Michael Villaire, MSLM
Institute for Healthcare Advancement

Rima Rudd, ScD
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health