Health Literacy Activities by State

At a glance

Health literacy efforts are occurring all across the country. As part of the National Action Plan, states are developing their own organizations to study health literacy in communities and contribute to research.

graphic map of the United States

Overview

The links on this page include state and local collaborations and academic, government, and non-profit organizations with a health literacy focus. They exemplify goals in the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy. Specifically, they cross organizational boundaries, provide new knowledge to the field, or convene diverse groups and people with an interest in health literacy.

Links to organizations promoting their own internal health literacy activities or people promoting their health literacy services will not be included on this page. Websites reproducing material already available on this site also will not be included. Please read the website selection policy before nominating links for this page. You may send suggestions for new links to healthliteracy@cdc.gov.

States starting with A through I

Alabama

Alabama Health Literacy Initiative

The purpose of the Alabama Health Literacy Initiative is to support patient-centered educational opportunities, guide outreach activities, and create partnerships to advance health literacy and improve health outcomes in the state of Alabama.

Alaska

The Anchorage Health Literacy Program (TAHLC)

TAHLC's goal is to improve health literacy in populations underserved by health resources. TAHLC works toward this goal by building partnerships across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. These partnerships address wellness and quality of life for all residents.

Arizona

Arizona Health Literacy Coalition

The Arizona Health Literacy Coalition is an informal group of individuals and organizations interested in promoting health literacy in Arizona.

Arkansas

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Center for Health Literacy

The mission of the UAMS Center for Health Literacy is to improve society and population health by making health information easier to understand and use.

California

Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA)

The Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public benefit charity, with the mission of elevating health literacy to achieve health equity. IHA accomplishes its mission by hosting the IHA Solutions Center, a Health Literacy Specialist Certificate program, and its annual Health Literacy Conference; publishing the What To Do For Health book series, Managing Your Health micropublication series, and the indexed open-access journal Health Literacy Research and Practice; and providing health literacy consulting and training services. There may be a fee for some products and services.

Colorado

Colorado Health Literacy Coalition (CHLC)The Colorado Health Literacy Coalition promotes health literacy by providing resources, training and best practices through collaboration with organizations across the state.

Florida

Florida Health Literacy Initiative

The Florida Health Literacy Initiative provides health-education resources to local adult programs for English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and to family literacy programs so that students in these programs can make informed choices about their health and nutrition.

Hawaii

Health Literacy Research Hub: Hawai'i: The Health Literacy Research Hub is affiliated with the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. The hub consolidates studies on building health literacy, particularly studies relevant to Hawai'i.

Kuleana Health Literacy Project: The Kuleana Health Literacy Project is a consortium of community-based health centers and community-based organizations that develops, organizes, and delivers a health literacy program for people from racial and ethnic minority groups, rural communities, and populations that have been socially marginalized.

Illinois

Rockford Ready

Rockford Ready, led by the City of Rockford, Illinois, provides resources that help people make informed health decisions. Rockford Ready also provides training to community-based organizations and community health workers on key concepts and strategies to promote health literacy, health equity, and cultural humility.

Indiana

Indiana Center for Intercultural Communication (ICIC)

ICIC works to improve health care through its linguistic and intercultural communication research. The goals of their evidence-based interventions are to facilitate patient understanding of written medical information and to create tailored patient-centered messaging for healthcare professional use.

States starting with J through R

Kentucky

Health Literacy Kentucky

Health Literacy Kentucky is a statewide coalition working for a healthier commonwealth through improved health literacy.

Maryland

Horowitz Center for Health Literacy, University of Maryland

The Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy:

  • Conducts interdisciplinary research in health communication and health literacy
  • Translates research findings into education, recommendations, policy proposals, and community action

Michigan

Kalamazoo Literacy CouncilThe Kalamazoo Literacy Council offers health literacy classes for the public.

Michigan Health Literacy Collaborative The Michigan Health Literacy Collaborative does not currently have a website. However, you may contact Angela Murphy at amurphy4@hfhs.org if you are looking for a health literacy group in Michigan.

Minnesota

Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership

The mission of the Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership is to improve the health of all Minnesotans through clear health communication.

Missouri

Health Literacy Media (HLM)

HLM is a non-profit corporation based in St. Louis with a mission to improve the health of Missourians and all people while becoming a global leader in health literacy.

Montana

Montana State Library

The Montana State Library works with public libraries to provide health-related programming and information to the public. This programming seeks to

  • Teach Montanans where to find and how to evaluate health information.
  • Raise awareness of and engagement with specific health topics.
  • Empower Montanans to make health decisions appropriate for themselves, their friends, and their families.

New Mexico

University of New Mexico (UNM) Health System, Health Literacy Office

The UNM Health System's Health Literacy Office works to improve the ways people receive health information, whether people are reading it or hearing it.

North Carolina

North Carolina Health Literacy

The Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) serves as the information hub of health literacy efforts on campus and throughout the state of North Carolina. The library offers workshops and training for students, educators and health care professionals to raise awareness of the impact of low health literacy, as well as strategies and tools to incorporate health literacy into practice to improve health outcomes.

Ohio

Ohio Health Literacy Partners

Ohio Health Literacy Partners (OHLP) is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Ohioans to make informed health choices through improved health literacy.

OHLP was created in 2013 to bring together a coalition of interested professionals from around Ohio who have expertise in health literacy. The intent is to address the individual, professional. and organizational challenges of low health literacy throughout the state.

Oregon

Pacific University Libraries

The Pacific University Libraries' Health Literacy for Interprofessional Education eToolkit has tools and resources to help faculty members prepare future practicing health professionals to care for patients who have low health literacy. In addition, the libraries invite current and future students, clinicians, and anyone interested in learning more about taking control of their health and health communication to use the site.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Health Literacy Coalition

The Pennsylvania Health Literacy Coalition fosters collaboration and partnerships, builds infrastructure for health literacy training, and creates a culture of health literacy in Pennsylvania. The ultimate goal of these activities is to improve health communication and ensure good health for all.

States starting with S through Z

South Carolina

South Carolina Hospital Association Health Literacy Initiative

The South Carolina Hospital Association and researchers at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health have developed an initiative that assesses patient communication needs and uses an evidenced-based strategy to improve health literacy, patient-provider communication, and health outcomes.

Texas

Health Literacy Texas: The mission of Health Literacy Texas is to help create, support, and maintain statewide health literacy initiatives to reach optimum population health in Texas. The organization's vision is to have a culture of health literacy across Texas.

University of North Texas Health Science Center Health Literacy Lab: The University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) Health Literacy Lab works to improve individual and population health by making health information easy to understand and use. The lab is a place where students, interns, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty can learn health literacy skills. UNTHSC's online course, Introduction to Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Standards, is designed to prepare healthcare professionals with the foundational knowledge to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care that patients can understand.

Virginia

Health Education and Literacy (HEAL) Program

The HEAL Program is affiliated with Literacy for Life at The College of William & Mary. The HEAL Program offers classes for adults with low health literacy so that they can better communicate with health care professionals. The program also offers training to medical staff to help them meet the health information needs of their patients. Medical professionals may have to pay a fee for training.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Health Literacy

Wisconsin Health Literacy (WHL) is a statewide organization raising awareness of the importance of health literacy and fostering better communication between health care consumers and health care providers. WHL is a division of Wisconsin Literacy, Inc., a nonprofit coalition representing a membership of 73 community-based adult and family literacy agencies.

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