The UAMS Center for Health Literacy concluded multi-year projects funded by federal grants for public health and health care organizations to address health equity by advancing Organizational Health Literacy (OHL). To address equity and the role health care organizations play to ensure health literacy is integrated into policy and practice, Healthy People 2030 added a definition of OHL, along with considerations for organizational integration.
CHL partnered with organizations in Arkansas, Georgia, and Nebraska to develop OHL training programs and assessment and planning processes that these states used to make improvements based on health literacy best practices.
Using established resources such as the Attributes of Health Literate Healthcare Organizations, the Health Literacy Environment of Hospitals and Health Centers (HLE2), and the Health Literate Health Care Organization 10 Item Questionnaire (HLHO-10), CHL also developed assessment, reporting, and planning tools tailored to the specific needs of each organization. CHL also developed and provided 20 specialized trainings in Applied Plain Language and the Teach-Back process. CHL also completed over 400 pages of plain language assessment, editing, and translation for organizations for immediate implementation.
One state partner, having previously completed their own assessment work., opted to offer plain language and teach-back training to a variety of audiences. The other two state partners participated in a larger-scale OHL process. This encompassed 16 separate organizations, including hospitals, nonprofit health care centers, community-based behavioral and health clinics. CHL conducted robust site assessments and guided organizations to develop data-driven, evidence-based plans to improve health literacy across each individual organization. These plans included objectives in areas such as:
- Policy development,
- Navigational improvements,
- Staff training in written and verbal communication,
- Improvement in and enhanced access to written materials.
Through these efforts, CHL is not only supporting the integration of health literacy into organizational practices but also promoting health equity within communities.