Florida Department of Health in Leon County Celebrates National Health Literacy Month  

Florida Department of Health in Leon County Celebrates Health Literacy Month in October

Improving health literacy helps people stay healthier!

Tallahassee, FL—The Florida Department of Health in Leon County (DOH Leon) celebrates National Health Literacy Month in October. It is a time for organizations and individuals to promote the importance of understandable health information.

Health literacy is something that affects everyone and is dependent on numerous factors; including communication skills of the patient or professional, culture, or knowledge of health topics. All factors result in being able to make appropriate health decisions for yourself or loved ones.

DOH Leon makes it a priority to build understanding of health words and concepts so everyone can have access to better care.

“Health literacy is a bridge to quality of care—using simple, everyday language with our clients and families,” says DOH Leon Health Officer Claudia Blackburn. “It supports their ability to engage in their own health.”

Only 12 percent of adults have proficient health literacy, according to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). In other words, nearly nine out of ten adults may lack the skills needed to manage their health and health care. This means that more than 90 million people in the United States have a hard time understanding and using health information.

People with low health literacy are:

• More likely to use emergency rooms and to be hospitalized
• More likely to have medication and treatment errors
• More likely to have chronic diseases
• Less likely to follow their treatment plans
• Less likely to understand common insurance terms
• Less likely to obtain preventative care

DOH Leon and key community partners constantly collaborated through the COVID-19 pandemic to build a culture of health literacy. Among other things, we united to print and/or broadcast, critical COVID-19 health information to residents with low literacy in both English and Spanish. Our mission then and now is to reach people where they are in times of emergency with messaging that is clear and easily understandable using all available resources.

Together we continue to produce COVID‐19 flyers and brochures that community organizations, faith leaders, and health providers can share with adults who are low‐skilled readers. 

“COVID-19 is but one of many crises facing our low wealth and minority communities,” said Blackburn. “We can take this time during Health Literacy Month to pledge to do better. This pandemic has taught us there has never been a more important time to build a culture of health literacy for all of our citizens,” Blackburn emphasized.

For more information and to build your skills and work to become more familiar with health information and services, visit the Centers for Disease Control’s Health Literacy webpage:

https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/index.html

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Written by Pamela Saulsby | Public Information Officer

October 27, 2021