How It Works

Literacy for Life’s award-winning HEAL Program combines health literacy classes for adults with on-site training for medical staff

Here is how the program works:

HEAL CLASSES

Literacy for Life offers an eight-week HEAL course for adults that increases their knowledge of current health care topics, medical terminology, and standard processes and practices. Students learn how to:

Describe symptoms to a doctor
Read and understand medication instructions
Use Urgent Care instead of the ER when appropriate
Fill out medical forms
Ask questions to better understand diagnosis, prescriptions, and next steps
Make lifestyle changes that can improve health

TRAINING FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

The HEAL training for medical staff raises awareness of low health literacy and provides practical tools and strategies for working with patients. The presenter provides an interactive, engaging training session packed with useful information. Key topics include:

Identifying patients with low health literacy
Communicating clearly, effectively, and respectfully
Creating easy-to-read materials
Checking for comprehension
Being culturally sensitive

HEAL Classes may also include a field trip to a local hospital or guest speakers from the medical community.

The HEAL curriculum has three tiers—basic, intermediate, and advanced—for learners at different literacy levels. The basic tier may be appropriate for a recent immigrant who knows and understands very little English, and the advanced tier may be appropriate for a native English speaker who faces some literacy challenges.