News & Updates
Finding Your Med Legs: Navigating the Waters of Medical School
First-generation, low-income (FGLI) students are underrepresented in medicine across all institutions. It can be very difficult for FGLI students to find resources, navigate the medical school application process, and feel supported as they complete their medical...
Numeracy Best Practices: How to Make Numbers Clear
When developing health materials, we sometimes concentrate on language and reading level while overlooking the clarity and usefulness of numbers. The reader’s ability to understand the meaning of the numbers being presented to them is critical to their ability to...
Perspective: To Assess or Not to Assess? That Is the Question
One of the most commonly asked questions at health literacy training sessions is, “How can I tell if my patient has low health literacy?” The question of assessing health literacy, at the individual or population level, is often discussed on message boards and at...
Join the Pennsylvania Health Literacy Coalition for Our 2020 Webinar Series
The Pennsylvania Health Literacy Coalition announces our first virtual event! Please join us for weekly webinars on a variety of health literacy topics chosen to provide insights into emerging issues relevant to current health communication needs. Below you can read...
Healthy NewsWorks Helps Students Make Sense of the Virus
Finding ways to understand and process health information during the novel coronavirus pandemic is hard for everyone, but it can be especially overwhelming for children. Healthy NewsWorks (HNW) is an organization that aims to empower elementary and middle school...
Communicating About COVID-19
In Pennsylvania and across the world, cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by a new coronavirus, are growing. We must keep health literacy in mind as we communicate vital public health information and try to manage the spread of the virus. If you are developing...
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region (NNLM MAR) Funding Opportunities
The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region (NNLM MAR) invites eligible member organizations in the Middle Atlantic Region (DE, NJ, NY, PA) to apply for health information outreach and programming projects for the period May 15, 2020 – April...
What’s New in 2020
Pennsylvania Health Literacy Coalition (PAHLC) members, you might have noticed that our health literacy blog has been in a hibernation for a little while. The PAHLC team has been working behind the scenes to deliver training and workshops, host events, and provide...
Online Health Information: Benefits, Concerns, and Tips
The amount of health information available online via the internet, social media, and applications is growing rapidly. As a result, health information is far more accessible to the general public. Patients’ ability to search for answers to their health-related...
The Impact of Aging on Health Literacy: How Technology Can Help
As the United States population ages, the health literacy of older adults is of great concern. Only 3% of people 65 and older have proficient health literacy skills; twenty-nine percent (29%) have below basic skills.¹ Several factors related to aging play a role in...