English for Health Training Program Developed by Literacy Network, Madison WI Recipient of: Promising Practices Award for Improving Minority Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services Outstanding Achievement in Health Literacy, Wisconsin Literacy University of Wisconsin-Madison Community Partner Award Presented at: Wisconsin Health Literacy Summit, Institute for Health Advancement National Conference, Florida Blue Sapphire Awards, Florida Literacy Conferences, ProLiteracy National Conferences, 2011 and 2013.
Literacy skills are a stronger predictor of an individual’s health status than age, income, employment status, education level, or racial/ethnic group. National Patient Safety Foundation, April 2011
What Is English for Health? English for Health is a program developed by Literacy Network of Dane County, Wisconsin. This twelve week model builds health literacy skills among adults with limited English proficiency and improves the literacy environment of area healthcare organizations. By collaborating with healthcare systems, English for Health improves adult learners’ access and use of healthcare, and helps providers communicate more effectively with patients. English for Health helps adult learners navigate the health care system in their communities and build health literacy skills for better health for themselves and their families. Why Health Literacy? Poor health literacy costs the U.S. economy approximately $238 billion annually. It is linked to poor health outcomes and even death. Studies show that Medicaid patients who read below the third-grade level have average annual health care costs that are four times higher than average Medicaid patients. Emergency room patients with low literacy are twice as likely to be hospitalized as those with adequate literacy. Diabetes, asthma and many other chronic conditions are more common among individuals with low literacy. Health literacy is the ability to find, understand and use health information to make health care decisions. Immigrants unfamiliar with English struggle to understand the health care system, institutions, and providers. Many adults cannot read the date on a medical appointment card, understand the directions on a bottle of children’s medicine, or follow written care instructions for an illness or wound. The English for Health Model English for Health is for adults who have low literacy and limited English proficiency. English instruction is contextualized to health literacy content. The sponsoring organization partners with a health clinic or hospital to deliver instruction that helps participants navigate the health care system and become informed users of health care. The program includes 48 hours of health literacy instruction and practice over 12 weeks. Learners meet in a hospital or clinic twice a week for classes from literacy program providers and hospital health care providers. Core program content includes general health information, use of scheduled and emergency care, an introduction to health insurance, and information about
how to navigate health care facilities, make appointments, fill out forms, describe symptoms, and communicate with staff and providers. Also covered are medication safety, nutrition and self-care. The course features a mock clinic in which students make appointments, register, fill out personal information and medical history forms, learn about their blood pressure, describe assigned symptoms and review sample prescriptions and medication safety with volunteer healthcare providers. Core Elements The English for Health model can be adapted to meet the needs of local demonstration sites and the adult learners they serve. English for Health has the following core elements: literacy instruction in a health context; a partnership between the demonstration site and a clinic, hospital, or other health care institution; health care providers as instructors for some content; classes held in a health facility; a mock clinic held in the health facility to create opportunities to practice new skills; and data collection for documentation and program improvement. Becoming an English for Health partner Organizations interested in being an English for Health partner will receive: •
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The comprehensive English for Health curriculum, including individual lesson plans and accompanying activities for each of the 24 class periods, in both hard copy and electronic form. One phone or Web-based conversation to complete the Program Review Questionnaire Process. A series of hour-long training videos that walk organizations through developing health partnerships, preparing for the class, implementing the curriculum, program evaluation and preparing English for Health tutors. Ongoing technical assistance, consisting of four phone or Web-based conversations: (1) during the planning stages, (2) after the program start date, (3) mid-program and (4) an evaluator conversation after the program.
Assistance to partners begins with a program review questionnaire (PRQ) to assess the need for training. Literacy Network staff guides each site through the process of identifying and prioritizing technical assistance needs related to creating their own English for Health program. The PRQ process is confidential and self-directed. The needs assessment identifies organizational competencies and core elements of the English for Health program
involved in planning, delivering, and evaluating an English for Health program site Partners will identify the status of each component listed and indicate whether assistance is needed to change that status. Once an organization has completed the guided self-review, staff from Literacy Network help to complete the PRQ process with a phone conversation to discuss the results, identify strengths and resources, discuss and prioritize the technical assistance needs and review possible strategies and technical assistance activities that build on existing strengths. Training The English for Health program comes with a series of training videos that cover the following topics: • • • • •
Developing and Sustaining Health Literacy Partnerships Getting Started: Preparing for Your English for Health Program Using the English for Health Curriculum Program Evaluation and Sustainability Preparing Volunteer Tutors to Use the English for Health Curriculum
Each training video offers talking points and hands-on activities that encourage participants to discuss the information as is relevant to their particular organizations and walks through the creation of an individualized implementation plan. Technical Assistance Literacy Network staff provide tailored technical assistance to build an organization’s capacity to develop, operate, and evaluate a sustainable, culturally competent English for Health program. Technical assistance supports the knowledge, skills, expertise, attitudes, and infrastructure needed to build permanent health literacy education capacity, and sustainability is planned for from the start. We help programs avoid duplication of existing community services, foster collaboration, and leverage additional resources. Ongoing technical assistance and support includes monitoring progress via phone calls and web-based meetings, providing additional consultation and training, and serving as an advisor as problems arise. Total program cost: $979 To get started, or for more information, contact: Beth Gaytan, Senior Director of English Language Education Email:
[email protected] Phone: 608-244-3911
