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The Rush Health employer symposium brought together representatives from Chicago area employers, unions and Taft-Hartley groups to discuss the role health literacy plays in health and productivity, and to share ideas about ways to raise health literacy.
Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions .
Commissioner Terry Mason discussed the links between chronic disease, health choices, health literacy and the impact on health care costs. He used examples of calls to his WVON – AM weekly radio program “Doctor in the House” to illustrate how much help people need interpreting the words doctors use. Symposium attendees participated in a real-time survey of their health knowledge which allowed them to assess their own level of health literacy. Commission Mason encouraged employers to communicate health information in a way that is culturally appropriate and relevant, and to look to T.V. and the advertising industry to learn how to promote health literacy.
Michael Jacobs introduced the business case for employers’ health literacy programs and reviewed the impact on cost and trend. Health literacy is seen as the foundation of employees’ ability to manage their personal health. The employer movement towards promoting health literacy is an evolution of a health benefits strategy from managed care to engaged consumer.
Wendy Lynn shared an employer’s perspective on building a culture of health knowledge. At CNA, worksite based activities included promoting “know your numbers” through HRAs with incentives for participation; supporting healthy behaviors through wellness programs, and building a relationship with a health care provider through on-site physicals. Ms. Lynn discussed the importance of live meetings for teaching employees how to get value from their health benefit plan, and how to evaluate the credibility of information from provider quality compare tools.
Marcie Meyer drew on her experience communicating benefits to employees of a large manufacturing company. She outlined a communications campaign for health literacy and emphasized the need to clarify health benefits terminology. Ms. Meyer recommended specific activities to understand differences in employees’ language, reading and computer skills, and to find out how employees like to receive their health information and from whom. She also stressed the importance of having a strategic plan with provisions for measuring the success of the communication campaign.
Symposium attendees received information about the Rush Health's wellness programs available to employers to help raise health literacy. Symposium exhibits introduced attendees to ways Rush Health practices promote health literacy to patients with chronic or acute illness.
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