Health Literacy Project Description

According to the NYC Mayor’s Office of Adult Education, “The adult education system plays a vitally important role in enhancing the health literacy skills of the public. Adult educators teach their students the functional literacy skills they need to manage their daily lives. Many programs are promoting health literacy by addressing these skills within the context of health promotion and health care delivery, topics of considerable interest among adult learners.”

Because of it practical implications on the daily lives of our students, health literacy has been an important component of CIET curricula since the program’s inception. Lessons have focused around the issues of access to health information, screenings, nutrition, basic diseases prevention plans and health insurance.

CIET faculty members have developed materials for use in health literacy classrooms around the country and especially in NYC, including the following:

Gardner, Hillary “Getting Good Advice: You and Your Health” (February 2003), published online at http://www.worlded.org/us/health/lincs/lessons/gardner.htm and incorporated into “Family Health and Literacy: A Guide to Easy-to-Read Health Education Materials and Websites for Families,” edited by Julie McKinney and Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi. Part of the National Institute for Literacy’s Health & Literacy Special Collection mini-grant lesson plans incorporating health literacy into the Civics classroom

Gardner, Hillary (contributor) “Health Literacy Campaign: Model Lesson Plan for Health Screenings” NYC Mayor’s Office of Adult Education http://www.nyc.gov/html/adulted/html/health/lesson_plan.shtml

Health Literacy Workshops

• Over 25 students attended a free glucose and blood pressure screening at Elmhurst Hospital as part of the Mayor’s Office of Adult Education “Take Care New York” campaign (Fall 2007).
• Over 160 students attended “Bridges to Care: How Do I Get Health Care Without Spending a Fortune?” presented by the Medical and Health Research Association (Spring 2007).
• Over 400 students were tested for TB by the Community Tuberculosis Prevention Program at the NYU Center for Immigrant Health (May 2006).
• Over 100 students without health insurance have received free vision screenings and eyeglasses through Kress Vision Program New York Downtown Hospital (2005-present).
• Over 20 students attended a workshop on “HIV Risk Reduction & Prevention” presented by Aids Center of Queens County (May 2006).
• Over 80 students participated in the eight-week “Health Literacy Nutrition Certificate” presented by Cornell University Cooperative Extension (2006-2007).
• Over 80 students received a job safety certificate presented by OSHA after attending a week of special classes on the topic. (2005-2006).