Christopher Pizzute, MA, LCAT, MT-BC, is a music psychotherapist who works in inpatient and outpatient services at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. His expertise extends to palliative, psychiatric, geriatric, pediatric, and neonatal care. Christopher is also a songwriter, artist, and video game advocate whose work now extends to exploring the benefit of video game music as part of music therapy.

Listen as Christopher Pizzute and Helen Osborne talk about:

• The importance of music throughout the life cycle.
• Examples of using music to support patient care.
• Some ways to include music in healthcare and community settings.

More ways to learn more:

• Mount Sinai Health System, The Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy
• “The Effects of Music Therapy on Vital Signs, Feeding, and Sleep in Premature Infants,”Loewy J et al, Pediatrics, May 2013.
• https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/loewylab/ ‘The Loewy Laboratory’ Research website for the Louis Armstrong Department for Music Therapy
• American Music Therapy Association
• “Teaching & Singing About Health in South Africa,” HLOL podcast interview with village health workers.
• “Mache Seibel Talks about Using Music and Song,” HLOL podcast interview with Mache Seibel, MD.

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Zest and Pizzazz” is especially relevant to this podcast.

The post Using Music to Support Patient Care (HLOL #257) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Today’s episode is a re-airing of an important podcast first posted in 2009. It is my conversation with the husband-and-wife team of Cecelia (Cici) and Leonard (Len) Doak. The field of health literacy as we know it today builds on the strong foundation of research, practice, and advocacy that began with the Doaks. While both of them have since passed on, it is well worthwhile to listen as Len & Ceci share why health literacy mattered decades ago and why it remains so important today.

Cecelia (Ceci) Doak started as a commissioned officer in the US Public Health Service. During her more 20 years there, Ceci developed and led numerous health education programs. In fact, she received a commendation from the Surgeon General for her work educating the public about cancer.

Leonard (Len) Doak comes to health literacy via adult education, volunteering for many years as a tutor of non-readers. Len’s first career was as a Navy engineer and among his many accomplishments he helped simplify instructions for crews working on ships and submarines.

Len and Ceci, along with their co-author Jane Root, wrote the landmark book first published in 1985, Teaching Patients with Low Literacy Skills. Len and Ceci wrote guidelines for many important projects and analyzed the suitability of over 2,000 healthcare materials. They presented at more than 200 health literacy workshops, training thousands of health professionals in all disciplines.

Len and Ceci Doak talk with Helen Osborne about:

• How health literacy began more than 30 years ago
• Why health literacy was important then, and is even more so today
• Strategies to improve communication and assess understanding
• Ceci & Len Doak’s vision for health literacy in the future

More ways to learn:

Doak, Doak, & Root, Teaching Patients with Low Literacy Skills, Second Edition, 1996. Now available on Internet Archive.

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “About Health Literacy” is especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post HLOL #256: Len & Ceci Doak Discuss Health Literacy’s Past, Present and Future appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Adena Dacy, MS, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist. For many years, she worked with people of all ages who have communication disabilities. Dacy now is an Associate Director on the Health Care Services Team at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Her areas of interest include health literacy and access to quality care for people with speech, language, voice, hearing and/or cognitive difficulties.

Judy Crane had a long and successful career in medical services and sales. This work was abruptly cut short when she had a dissected aorta followed by a stroke. One of her residual effects is post-stroke aphasia. Crane is now an active advocate for people with aphasia and serves on numerous committees and programs as a patient advisor, volunteer, and staff member. In 2021, Judy Crane was awarded the Stroke Survivor Hero Award by the American Stroke Association.

Listen as Adena Dacy and Judy Crane talk with Helen Osborne about:

• Communication disabilities. What this term means, who it includes, and how these disabilities can affect people across the lifespan.
• Judy’s story of how communication disabilities can affect a person’s health understanding and outcomes.
• Strategies to help make health conversations accessible to all. These are part of ASHA’s Communication ACCESS campaign: Ask, Communicate directly, Confirm understanding, Eliminate distractions, Slow down, Support interactions.

More ways to learn:

• ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
• ACCESS: Better Health Starts with Effective Communication
• National Aphasia Association
• “Health literacy interventions in adult speech and language therapy: A scoping review,” by McKenna V.B. and Gilheaney O., published in Health Expectations, 2023.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Communication Disabilities: Making Conversations Accessible to All (HLOL #255) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Viju Jacob, MD, FAAP is the Medical Director and Vice President of Medical Affairs at a large Federally Qualified Health Center in Bronx, NYC. His day-to-day work includes oversight of 12 school-based health practices, 2 family practice sites, and 6 school-based dental practices. Dr. Jacob also focuses on regulatory and policy aspects of school-based healthcare at both a statewide and national level. As a new immigrant himself, Viju was user of a School-Based Health Center, having received some of his earliest dental care from the School-Based Dental Clinic at PS 8 in the North Bronx.

In this podcast, Dr. Viju Jacob talks with Helen Osborne about:

• School-based health centers: What they are, who they treat, how they help children and families.
• Health literacy in action. The intersection of these centers with education, clinical care, public health, and community services.
• Looking ahead at the potential of school-based health centers.

More ways to learn:

• New York School-Based Health Foundation
• New York School-Based Health Alliance
• School-Based Health Allliance: The National Voice for School-Based Health Care

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Community Connections” is especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post School-Based Health Centers: Health Literacy in Action (HLOL #254) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Ted Hartwell is Executive Director of the Nevada Council on Problem Gambling. The mission of this Council is to generate awareness, promote education, and advocate for quality treatment of problem gambling in the state of Nevada. Ted is in long-term recovery from his own gambling disorder and has been advocating on this issue for over 15 years. Ted also is a professional cellist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

In this podcast, Ted Hartwell talks with Helen Osborne about:

• Gambling disorder. What this term means, who it most affect, and why gambling disorder is now getting increased attention.
• Suggestions for listeners about ways to help. Listeners include clinicians, public health folks, and those working in community agencies.
• Tips for family, friends, parents, employers, and any of us who are dealing with or concerned about gambling disorders.

More ways to learn:

• Nevada Council on Problem Gambling
• Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, When the Fun Stops
• National Council on Problem Gambling
• Problem Gambling Helpline. Call: 1-800-GAMBLER; Text: 800-GAM; Chat: 1800GAMBLERchat.org
• International Center for Responsible Gaming
• Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen (BBGS), from the Cambridge Health Alliance Division on Addiction.

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. Chapters especially relevant to this podcast are “Community Connections” and “Know Your Audience: Emotions, Cognition, and Behavioral Health.”

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Gambling Disorders and Other Addictions (HLOL #253) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Cliff Coleman, MD, MPH, is a physician and international expert in the field of health literacy. His award-winning work focuses on improving health literacy and clear communication training for healthcare professionals through systems approaches, including curriculum design and evaluation.

Coleman is Professor of Family Medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Medicine and serves as Clinical Thread Director for education on health communication, professionalism, and ethics. He is the inaugural Doris and Mark Storms Endowed Chair in Compassionate Communication at OHSU’s Center for Ethics in Health Care. Coleman also chairs the OHSU Health Literacy Workgroup which aims to help OHSU become a health literate organization.

In this podcast, Dr. Cliff Coleman talks with Helen Osborne about:

·      Health information equity. What it is, why it matters, who it most affects.

·      Strategies to use in everyday communication and at a policy level.

·      Why health information equity matters now, and will in years ahead.

More ways to learn:

·      Health Literacy and Systemic Racism—Using Clear Communication to Reduce Health Care Inequities, by Coleman C, Birk S, DeVoe J, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, June 26, 2023

·      Telemedicine: Communicating About Health by Phone or 2-Way Video, a Health Literacy Out Loud podcast interview with Dr. Cliff Coleman

·      Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit, 3rd Edition, from AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

·      National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, from the CDC

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Health Equity in the Context of Health Literacy” is especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Health Information Equity: Equal Access to Information that is High-Quality, Understandable, and Usable (HLOL #252) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Cynthia Baur, Ph.D., is the Endowed Chair and Director of the Horowitz Center for Health Literacy at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health. Baur is widely recognized as a health communication expert whose work focuses on improving health literacy at the individual, family, community, and organizational levels.

Prior to this position, Cynthia Baur spent nearly two decades focusing on issues of health communication, health literacy, and health policy at U.S. Federal agencies including the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) where she was its Plain Language and Health Literacy Lead.

In 2022, Cynthia Baur and many others worked closely with Maryland lawmakers to designate the Horowitz Center as their state’s consumer health information hub. This huge accomplishment is a shining example of creating a “health literate state,” making health literacy happen statewide.

In this podcast, Cynthia Baur talks with Helen Osborne about:

• The Maryland Consumer Health Information Hub. What this project is, how and why it came about.
• How this Information Hub is fulfilling the vision of the U.S. National Action Plan for Health Literacy for all residents in Maryland.
• Suggestions about ways to make health literacy policy a part of everyday practice.

More Ways to Learn:

• Maryland Consumer Health Information Hub
• Horowitz Center for Health Literacy at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health
• National Action Plan for Health Literacy, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, a Health Literacy Out Loud podcast interview with Cynthia Baur
• CDC’s Clear Communication Index, a Health Literacy Out Loud podcast interview with Cynthia Baur

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Organizations: Health Literacy Across Programs, Companies, Communities, and Countries” is especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Putting Health Literacy Policy into Practice: How the Maryland Consumer Health Information Hub is Making This Happen (HLOL #251) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Joana Andoh, MD, is an ophthalmology resident at The Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Andoh has a long-standing passion for both the sciences and humanities. Her interests include social determinants of diabetic retinopathy, domestic violence-related ocular injuries, and geographic healthcare disparities. Dr. Andoh is passionate about using scientific and narrative writing to elevate marginalized communities.

In this podcast, Dr. Joana Andoh talks with Helen Osborne about:

• Family health history. What it includes and ways that patients are asked about their family’s history including by written checklists and office conversations.
• Why family history is important in diagnosis, treatment, and care.
• Problems getting a complete and accurate family health history.
• Examples of ways that patients, families, and clinicians can discuss and learn from histories of generational health.

More ways to learn:

• “The Stories We Don’t Know,” by Joana E. Andoh, MD. Published in JAMA, April 13, 2023.
• Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. Two chapters that are especially relevant to this podcast are “Patient & Family Perspective,” and “Health Equity in the Context of Health Literacy.”

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Family Health History: The Value of Learning about Generational Health (HLOL #250) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Karen Foster is the Executive Director of All Out Adventures based in Massachusetts. Prior to being appointed as its Executive Director, Karen worked for this organization as a program leader. She has also been a 9th grade history teacher and school-based program administrator. Karen is certified to teach coastal kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding, and has experience leading many other outdoor recreation programs. Beyond all these accomplishments, Karen is the former Vice President of the City Council and currently a member of the School Committee in her hometown of Northampton, MA.

In this podcast, Karen Foster talks with Helen Osborne about:

• Recreation can bring joy to everyone’s lives. It is a way for people of all ages and abilities to connect with their own bodies and each other.
• Reasons that some people are reluctant to participate in recreation. And ways to address and help overcome this reluctance whether it comes from the individual, their family or caregiver, or the community.
• Resources and suggestions to help make recreation accessible to all.

More ways to learn:

• All Out Adventures: Outdoor recreation for people of all abilities
• Health in Context of People’s Lives. Health Literacy Out Loud podcast interview with Rear Admiral Paul Reed who talks about the importance of finding health in context of the environments in which people live, work, play, grow, and age.

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. Chapters especially relevant to this podcast are “Community Connections” and “Zest and Pizzazz.”

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Accessible Recreation for All (HLOL #249) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Molly Lynch, MPH, and Linda Squiers, PhD, both work within the Communication Practice Area at RTI International. Lynch has over 15 years of experience developing, implementing, and evaluating public health programs with a focus on health literacy. She now directs RTI’s Audience Engagement Research Program. This includes using human-centered design principles to engage audiences in the development of communication products and interventions.

Squiers has over 30 years of experience in health communication research. She focuses on developing and testing health communication messages and interventions for print materials, videos, campaigns, and other online tools. Squiers is a Senior Health Communication Scientist at RTI.

Molly Lynch and Linda Squiers talk with Helen Osborne about:

• Intellectual developmental disabilities (IDD) and extreme low literacy (ELL). Why it is important to create materials specific to this audience.
• Creating these materials goes beyond plain language. It also includes using evidence-based best practices that focus on behaviors, sentences, words and numbers, text layout, and visuals.
• Information about a guide to help you develop materials and a tool to check how well your materials follow these guidelines.

More ways to learn:

• How to Develop Products for Adults with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities and Extreme Low Literacy: A Product Development Tool. Published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• “Building Evidence for Principles to Guide the Development of Products for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Extreme Low Literacy–A Product Development Tool.” By Squiers L, Lynch MM, et al. Published in Healthcare, June 14, 2023.
• The CDC Clear Communication Index

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Know Your Audience: Emotions, Cognition, and Behavioral Health” is especially relevant to this podcast.

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Developing Materials for Adults with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities and Extreme Low Literacy (HLOL #248) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.

Rohini Khillan, MPH, has been working in the field of public health policy for over a decade in both federal agencies and large nonprofit organizations. While her focus is primarily on issues of aging and disability, Rohini has worked on a variety of topics that include access to care and socioeconomic disparities. Much of her work centers on making complex health topics accessible to a variety of lay audiences through written materials and in-person communication.

In this podcast, Rohini Khillan talks with Helen Osborne about:

• Assume that your audience is already somewhat savvy and knowledgeable about this topic and now interested in clarification.
• Treat your audience like a close friend. Respect their lived experiences, preferences, and habits.
• Always err on the side of inclusivity when it comes to ability and age.

More ways to learn:

• Health in Context of People’s Lives. Health Literacy Out Loud podcast interview with Rear Admiral Paul Reed, MD.
• Building Trust with Each Audience. Health Literacy Out Loud podcast interview with Lenora Johnson, DrPH, MPH
• Communicating Complex Health Messages in a Complex World. Health Literacy Out Loud podcast interview with Glen Nowak, PhD.

Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition, by Helen Osborne. Chapters that especially relate to this podcast include “Patient & Family Perspective,” “Health Equity in the Context of Health

Read a transcript of this podcast.

The post Start by Assuming Your Audience is Smart and Savvy (HLOL #247) appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast.