Wisconsin Literacy

Wisconsin Literacy held a free SW/SC Regional Health Literacy Conference on Oct. 28, 2008 at American Family Insurance in Madison. Attendees explored some of the issues surrounding health literacy and the programs, both statewide and nationwide, making an impact on improving patient outcomes.

Dr. Christina Cordero, Project Manager for the Division of Standards and Survey Methods at The Joint Commission, discussed recommendations set forth by The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. Click here to view the Webcast of Dr. Cordero's presentation, Meeting The Joint Commission Standards for Health Literacy.

The Institute of Medicine defines health literacy as “the degree to which individuals can obtain, process and understand the basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions.”

Studies show that people with low health literacy skills:

1. tend to forego preventive measures like flu shots.
2. have a higher rate of chronic health conditions and are less likely to have the skills to control them well.
3. are more likely to use services to treat complications of disease than services that help prevent complications.

The half-day conference was presented by Wisconsin Literacy’s SW/SC Regional Health Literacy Committee with support from its members representing the Southwest Area Health Education Center, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Confident Conversations, LLC, and Enlace.