Health Literacy Month

October 2022 Health Literacy Month

October is Health Literacy Month. This is an important topic but a topic that few address. Words and phrases that healthcare professionals use daily are understood within the healthcare community. However, outside the healthcare community the words and phrases are just that: words and phrases with little or no comprehension to the person hearing those words/phrases.

October has been established as the Health Literacy month since 1999. This awareness month was founded by Helen Osborne. The Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) now promotes this important awareness during the month of October. The IHA has several toolkits that can be downloaded free for use to help promote Health Literacy. Please go to https://www.healthliteracymonth.org/your-toolkit

Another valuable resource is the Always Teach Back toolkit

Always teach back training kit is available at http://www.teachbacktraining.org/home

Other resources for you are located below

National Institute of Health (NIH)

https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication/plain-language/national-institutes-health-nih-health-literacy-month-october-2022

Health.gov

https://health.gov/news/202010/october-health-literacy-month

Additional areas of focus in October include:

National Dental Hygiene Month

Eye Injury Prevention Month

National down Syndrome Awareness Month

International Stuttering Awareness Day October 22, 2022