OSU/ AHEC Clear Health Communication Program

"Not knowing how to read feels like being blind, ignorant, not able to understand or ask people. I feel embarrassed to tell the doctor I cannot understand." Anonymous Patient

Health literacy is the degree to which people can understand basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions, including:

Reading an appointment slip
Interpreting prescription information
Understanding recommendations for health care
Completing health insurance applications
Understanding informed consent

The goals of The Ohio State University Clear Health Communication Program are:

To raise awareness in Ohio that health literacy is an important public health and health care issue
To present information that connects health literacy issues and strategies to the goals of Healthy People 2010
To explore various strategies and collaborations necessary in addressing these issues statewide
To build capacity within Ohio for addressing health literacy issues
To complement current health literacy initiatives and research in Ohio and to link the seven Ohio regional Area Health Education Centers and programs with other health-related entities to address this problem statewide
To develop a program model that addresses health literacy issues on a statewide basis