Introduction

The Five-Step Model

Ideas For Collaborating With Health Organizations

Lessons

Diabetes

Breast Health

Menopause

Lead Poisoning

Household Hazards

Nutrition

Download Entire Curriculum as a Word Document

Online Resources

Introduction

The following health literacy lessons were developed by different staff at the El Paso Community College/Community Education Program (EPCC/CEP). All the lessons were developed using the EPCC/CEP Five-Step Model. They were developed with different funding sources. Funding sources include Laubach/Women in Literacy/USA, Pfizer, and EPCC/CEP.

The lessons were developed to meet the educational and health needs of students attending classes in our program at a particular period in time. They were developed in a specific context. (For example, some of the health information we used is in Spanish.) The needs of the students and the information and services available to them may vary from community to community. Therefore, these lessons should serve as a guide. Some may be replicable in their entirety in certain communities, while others may not.

Teachers should work collaboratively with the students and local entities to determine health needs and available resources. For more information on forming collaborations with health entities in your community, please see Ideas For Collaborating With Health Organizations.

While the lessons may not be entirely replicable, the Five-Step instructional model is. We recommend that teachers become familiar with the Five-Step Model when they look at lessons and when they deliver health literacy instruction.

For some of the lessons, teachers will need to find an appropriate brochure or handout for the reading activity. Local health clinics or hospitals may have some. There are also suggestions in Online Resources for handouts and additional information. The Health & Literacy Special Collection is another source for health information or brochures.

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Ideas For Collaborating With Health Organizations

(This is an excerpt from the article What is Health Literacy?)

Here are some ways that health organizations can collaborate with adult education programs:

• Provide health professionals to give presentations in class

• Provide free health screenings to eligible students

• Allow students to research or present a health project

• Provide education materials

Following is a list of health entities that may exist in most Communities and can facilitate health information.

• Community/City/County/Public Hospital: They usually have an education department that facilitates literature and make presentations about health services and how to access them.
• Private hospitals: While they may discourage the uninsured from seeking services, they often want to have a good image. They have human relations' offices and they may provide literature, grants, and donations of cash, equipment, or other resources.
• Department of Human Services/Welfare Office: They will make presentations and facilitate information about accessing Medicare or Medicaid and other existing health services in communities for the poor. They will help students enroll in Medicaid, Medicare programs.
• Community/City/County Health Department: They educate communities about household hazards, antiseptic practices, infectious diseases, contamination, and availability of vaccination
• Community Health Clinics: They will make presentations about their services and how to access them. They will distribute literature about health problems affecting a given community. Health clinics in poor communities sometimes operate as community centers. They may refer students to classes, or facilitate adult education classes in their facilities.
• Planned Parenthood: They will make presentations and distribute literature about family planning, sexually transmitted diseases, and reproductive health. They will also provide counseling and help people access health services at reduced or no cost.
• United Blood Services: Can make presentations and facilitate literature about donating blood, and safety of blood donation and transfusions.
• American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Diabetes Association, Center for Disease Control, Environmental Protection Agency: These are national entities that often have local representatives. They have a lot of literature about diseases, how to prevent them, and how to access services. They may perform basic health tests for students such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. They may refer people at risk to health entities, and they can facilitate information about programs for poor people to access health services.
• Community Voices: These are organizations founded by the Kellogg Foundation. They exist in some communities and provide minimal cost primary health insurance coverage for the uninsured.

People can access information about these entities in their communities in their phonebooks. Local public libraries may also have directories of health and other resources. People may also find information by typing the name of the entity and the name of their community in their web browsers. They can also type the name of the entity and find information available nationwide. The American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Diabetes Association, Center for Disease Control, Environmental Protection Agency have extensive web-sites with a lot of health related information.

Often times, immigrants may be afraid to seek health services for fear of deportation. Health entities, however, are not in the immigration business and are willing and able to assist poor immigrants. In fact, some of their funding requires that they do this.

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Online Resources

World Education
November 2001