The GAR2N Project Growing Access to Resources Directed at Emotional Needs

The GAR2N Project Growing Access to Resources Directed at Emotional Needs is a health literacy intervention designed to improve emotional wellness knowledge and related communications skills among 88 in 95 settings. A team of health literacy experts will engage public health faculty and subject matter experts to develop a guide that will help individuals at various health literacy levels identify emotional wellness needs in themselves or others and develop the communication skills necessary to connect with appropriate sources of care. The guide will be vetted by community representatives, including those with known health literacy challenges. The team will develop facilitator guides and engage an existing network of eager community leaders to disseminate the guides across the state. Formal project evaluation will help us measure the anticipated impacts on knowledge and help-seeking confidence. Final products will be translated into Spanish and field tested by Spanish speakers to ensure successful cultural adaptation. These resources and lessons learned about their community-based implementation can be replicated across the nation as communities seek ways to inform the public about emotional wellness. Named partners include: UAMS College of Public Health, UAMS Library, FAITH Network, Arkansas Department of Health, and Central Arkansas Library System.