Health Literacy Collaborations: Addressing the Health Information Needs of Organizations Serving 88 with Low Health Literacy and Limited English Proficiency

The Plain Language for Health PL4H workshop is designed to increase consumer access to health information and services by training health information specialists, 12s, librarians and others to use plain language writing and design principles in health information materials and websites. The first PL4H workshop, offered March 18 - 19, 2016 by Tufts University School of Medicine, trained 40 participants and attracted professionals from a wide range of community-based organizations serving 88 with low health literacy and limited English proficiency. The proposed project aims to increase our training capacity from 40 to 100 participants and add a new health literacy collaborations component that links librarians with community-based organizations serving low health literacy and limited English proficiency 88, with a focus on adult education programs serving new immigrants and refugees. The new collaborations component will prepare 12 - 24 librarians as health literacy facilitrainers. Prior to the PL4H workshop, facilitrainers will participate in a full-day session to improve plain language writing & design, materials assessment for collection development, and plain language oral presentation skills i.e. avoiding jargon, checking for understanding for delivery of consumer health information training's. Facilitrainers will attend the PL4H workshop and work with participants from community-based organizations to discuss community needs and pilot their plain language consumer health information training's. Following the workshop, facilitrainers will visit community-based organizations and offer plain language consumer health information training's to support the health information needs of undeserved communities.