Health Literacy, Healthy Equity, and Our Response to COVID-19
Michele Erikson
Watch the video or read the highlights below.
Lightning Talk Highlights
In this IHA Lightening Talk, Michele Erikson, Executive Director of Wisconsin Literacy Inc. and the Wisconsin Health Literacy division, will share Wisconsin Literacy’s work on health literacy, health equity, and their response to COVID-19.Wisconsin Literacy Pivots for a New Normal
A statewide organization, Wisconsin Literacy supports 70 member agencies that improve adults reading, writing and numeracy skills and teach English as a second or other language.
In the middle of March, our team noticed that students were being significantly affected by COVID-19. Many of the students were essential workers but unfortunately some students lost their jobs and didn’t have access to unemployment benefits. Faced with a rapidly spreading pandemic and conflicting information, few could process what, exactly, was happening, especially for students with language barriers and limited technology skills.
Wisconsin’s Safer at Home Order in Plain Language
When Wisconsin’s governor put out the Safer at Home order, we lost no time. Within about 24 hours, we created a plain language version of the order. Doing so meant that students—as well as many others—could understand the order’s requirements and know what resources were available.
Let’s Talk About Viruses Fact Sheet
The team, further, realized that misinformation and misunderstandings ran rampant. We recognized the growing confusion about masks, social distancing, and handwashing. And addressed these concerns by creating the Let’s Talk About Viruses fact sheet. Available in different languages, the fact sheet provides guidance in the form of 5 tips for staying safe and healthy during COVID-19.
Celebration of Literacy Fundraiser
Instead of canceling the Annual Celebration of Literacy, we reimagined this tradition as a virtual fundraising event. We used Zoom and Youtube for our keynote speaker to kickoff the event and encourage the member agencies in their individual fundraising events statewide. Overall, the event was a success. With grant funding, we were able to buy Zoom accounts and internet hotspots to help increase access and keep students engaged in virtual learning.
Voting and Census Webinars
Although our team had begun their work with voting and the census before the COVID-19 crisis, we had redoubled their efforts by spring. Pandemic havoc notwithstanding, we understood the importance of civic responsibility and took strides to impress its gravity upon our member agencies and their learners.
Securing an online professional development opportunity for members—courtesy of The League of Women Voters and The US Census Bureau—was instrumental in helping us advance that goal.
Wisconsin Health Literacy Responds to Increase Access and Understanding During Pandemic
TeleHealth Form
COVID-19 also forced a number of pivots by the Wisconsin Health Literacy division. One early, fundamental pivot concerned healthcare delivery. COVID-19 had catapulted telehealth visits to a whole new level—a development that required cooperation and understanding from their healthcare partners.
Because online visits were new to many members, we worked quickly to streamline the process. This included equipping providers with telehealth visit permission forms and scripts for scheduling patient appointments.
We also worked with AHRQ and other telehealth associations to explain, in plain language, what telehealth means for the patient.
Let's Talk About Opioids: Activity Book
The Wisconsin Health Literacy division also produced an activity book called Let's Talk About Opioids. COVID-19 precautions, however, prevented them from delivering the book to correctional settings. Not content to limit the book’s reach, we quickly turned an in-person workshop into resources that could be used individually.
These resources, which were available for download, included a train-the-trainer program, a student activity guide and workbook, a Moodle module, and on-topic videos.
Things you can do now:
At the IHA Health Literacy Conference wrap-up, they talked about understanding the why and the what of health literacy, and the how of health literacy could be a challenge in many ways.
Here are some important things that are important when you are thinking about the how:
- Check in with partners who are supporting communities of color—where coronavirus is especially malignant. Follow their lead to offer your own support.
- Don’t prescribe what you might think is needed; co-create with the community.
- Create safe spaces for group conversation.
- Use Zoom meetings and provide hotspots for internet access.
- Consider new and old-school delivery methods for resources and learning materials.
- Use plain language, which was a hot topic at the IHA Health Literacy Conference.
Take this opportunity to stay engaged, to keep society’s racial justice movement alive, and to think about how people move through this pandemic. Technology skills, plain language, and trusting relationships are essential to our continued and successful participation. Our world is looking very different now … and may continue doing so for a long time to come.
Michele Erikson
[email protected]
608.346.3075.
Wisconsin Literacy Website
Health Literacy Wisconsin Website