October is Health Literacy Month, and The Department of Health (DOH) is inviting community partners to join DOH in highlighting the important role health literacy plays in improving public health. DOH recognizes the importance of making health information easy to understand and making the healthcare system easier to navigate.
According to a recent DOH Vaccine Partner Newsletter, health literacy is defined as “the degree to which individuals can find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.” Health literacy plays a critical role in people’s ability to make health-related decisions and follow prescribed treatment instructions. Health-related information can be difficult for folks at every level of health literacy, especially during stressful times such as a pandemic.
DOH encourages community partners to participate in Health Literacy Month and prioritize health literacy in the following ways:
- Follow Washington’s Plain Talk guidelines when writing for the public and other partners. Use our Plain Talk 1-pager or 2-pager as a reference.
- Talk with your team about how you can apply health literacy principles in your work.
- Share COVID-19 resources that are clear and easy to understand. You can find resources that follow health literacy and plain talk best practices at:
- The Washington State Department of Health COVID-19 Resources and Recommendations webpage.
- The Public Health Communications Collaborative.
To learn more about the importance of health literacy, consider watching this webinar.