AMA (AMA Foundation) Health Literacy
In 1998, the American Medical Association (AMA) became the first national medical organization to adopt policy recognizing that limited patient literacy affects medical diagnosis and treatment. The AMA Foundation has since been working to raise awareness of health literacy.

American College of Physicians Health Literacy Solutions
The Foundation has adopted the definition of health literacy developed for the National Library of Medicine and used by Healthy People 2010 (the prevention and health promotion objectives set for the Nation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services):

American Academy of Family Physicians Health Literacy Resources
Low-literacy patient education information, health literacy toolkits, pamphlets and other resources developed by national organizations, associations and the federal government.

Ask Me 3
The Partnership for Clear Health Communication is a coalition of national organizations that are working together to promote awareness and solutions around the issue of low health literacy and its effect on health outcomes.

BHIC
This blog focuses on health information issues related to the community, especially underserved communities.

California Health Literacy Initiative
The goal of the California Health Literacy Initiative is to inform and partner with individuals and organizations to craft collective, lasting solutions which will positively impact the health and well-being of individuals with low-literacy skills, their families, and their communities.

California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project (CALPRO) - Online Health Literacy Guide
This Reference Guide includes a number of lesson plans that are available at no or low cost from the Internet or by mail order. In addition, local CALPRO Professional Development Centers (PDCs) can provide instructors with further information and support, such as local community resources and contacts for health literacy initiatives.

Center for the Advancement of Health Talking the Talk
Improving Patient-Provider Communication - Interview #2: Doctor, Explain Thyself: Putting the Burden of Communication on the Provider with Dean Schillinger, M.D.

Center for Studying Health System Change
HSC closely monitors changes in access to and quality of health care from the viewpoint of consumers and physicians. Studies about access to care include the uninsured and those with low income as well as racial and ethnic minorities and people with chronic conditions. HSC research also documents differences between patients in HMOs and other types of plans, such as differences in the types of barriers to care they face. Also contained within this topical area are comparisons between HMOs and other kinds of plans on patient use of key services.

Clear Health Communication
Pfizer Clear Health Communication Initiative

Clinical Governance Support Team - How to involve people
Clinical governance is not just “one of those initiatives”, it is here to stay. Since its inception in 1998, the profile and prominence of clinical governance has grown rapidly. It remains at the centre of the NHS drive to create a modern, patient-led health service, with the fundamental aim being the provision of responsive, consistent, high-quality and safe patient care.

The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Health Literacy Item Set a multi-year initiative of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). CAHPS

Defining Links and Developing Partnerships between Literacy and Health - Literacy and Health Resources: The Link between Literacy and Health - These materials will be helpful to health educators who wish to reach “hard-to-reach” patients, and literacy instructors who wish to teach health topics in the classroom. All these materials are, or will soon be, available at the Library of Literacy Partners of Manitoba, 947-5757 or 1-866-947-5757. Some of them are available on the web.

Effect of literacy on patients' ability to obtain health care
The ability to obtain adequate health care may be hampered by functional illiteracy. Williams and colleagues performed a cross-sectional survey to determine the ability of patients to function in health care situations requiring reading.

The Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making (FIMDM) Health News Review
The Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making is a non-profit organization dedicated to assuring that people understand their choices and have the information they need to make sound decisions affecting their health and well being.

Government Initiatives--Plain Language Association International
Information about plain-language programs sponsored by government agencies or other organizations.

Health & Literacy Special Collection
World Education maintains this site with support from the National Institute for Literacy LINCS Project.

Health Literacy -- A Prescription to End Confusion Health Literacy More Information
Institute of Medicine
Building upon the 2004 report Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion, the Institute of Medicine has convened a Roundtable on Health Literacy. The Roundtable brings together leaders from academia, industry, government, foundations and associations, and representatives of patient and consumer interests who have an interest and role in improving health literacy.

Health Literacy Institute

Health Literacy Is Communication Tool for Patients, Doctors

Health Literacy Now
nonprofit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts provides a collection of useful teaching and educational materials, such as CDs, PowerPoint Slides, handouts and posters to help you improve communication with your patients as well as teach other physicians at your facility.

Health Literacy Roundtable (Institute of Medicine)
Building upon the 2004 report Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion, the Institute of Medicine has convened a Roundtable on Health Literacy. The Roundtable brings together leaders from academia, industry, government, foundations and associations, and representatives of patient and consumer interests who have an interest and role in improving health literacy.

Harvard School of Public Health - Health Literacy Studies
Health Literacy Studies is located in the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health and is part of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, with Dr. Rima Rudd as Principal Investigator.

IHA Institute for Healthcare Advancement
This project was funded through an English literacy and civics education grant from the Louisiana State Department of Education.

Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) Health Literacy
The Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) is a not-for-profit, 501 (c) (3) private operating foundation dedicated to education and advancing healthcare through innovative solutions.

Mass General Hospital New Treadwell Library Page
Health Literacy Resources: Using Plain Language

MEDLINE/PubMed Search and Health Literacy Information Resources

MedlinePlus: All Easy-to-Read
U.S. National Library of Medicine & the National Institutes of Health | Department of Health & Human Services

Migrant Clinicians Network MCN is a national, not-for-profit organization founded in 1984 by clinicians working in migrant health. With nearly 2,000 members, the organization is the oldest and second largest clinical network serving the underserved. MCN’s goal is to improve health care of migrants and other mobile poor populations by providing support, technical assistance, and professional development services to clinicians.

MLANET: Health Information Literacy Index

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Improving Health Literacy

NALD (National Adult Literacy Database)
Defining Links and Developing Partnerships between Literacy and Health - Literacy and Health Resources: Literacy and Health Resources on the web

National Institute for Literacy - Facts & Statistics - Literacy and Health

National Network of Libraries of Medicine nnlm.gov Health Literacy
Advancing the progress of medicine and improving the public health through access to health information.

The Ohio State University | College of Medicine Health Literacy Web Resources
Websites with easy-to-read materials for patients / clients

OHSU/Hood River Community Health Outreach Project
OHSU is a health and research university. And, as Oregon's only academic health sciences center, OHSU takes a leadership role in ensuring that Oregonians, regardless of where they live, have access to quality health care and education. It does this through programs that address provider makeup and distribution imbalances; combine training and care with service to the underserved; and encourage young people to consider careers in health care and biomedical research. The list is nearly endless.

Partnership for Clear Health Communication
PCHC is a national, non-profit 501(c)3 coalition that serves as an information source regarding the scope and impact of health literacy in the U.S., as well as what providers and patients can do to improve health communication in every provider-patient interaction. Our mission is to build awareness and advance solutions to improve health literacy and positively impact health outcomes.

Partnership for Clear Health Communication - Download/Order Materials
Through patient and provider education materials developed by leading health literacy experts Ask Me 3 promotes three simple but essential questions that patients should ask their providers in every health care interaction. Providers should always encourage their patients to understand the answers to: 1. What is my main problem? 2. What do I need to do? 3. Why is it important for me to do this?

Patient Education Institute
The Patient Education Institute publishes X-Plain™, the largest library of interactive multimedia software for patient education.

Patient Education Materials - Creating
The University of Minnesota Bio-Medical Library's list of resources for creating patient education materials for low literacy adults.

Patient Education Materials about the Treatment of Early-Stage Prostate Cancer: A Critical Review -- Fagerlin et al. 140 (9): 721 -- Annals of Internal Medicine

Patient Health International - medical information, health conditions, disease research

Patient UK - Health information at your fingertips
Comprehensive, free, up-to-date health information as provided by GPs to patients during consultations

Popular Topics: Health Literacy
Originally called the Plain English Network, PLAIN has been meeting informally since the mid 1990s. Our goal is to promote the use of plain language for all government communications. We believe that using plain language will save federal agencies time and money and provide better service to the American public. PLAIN believes that to get the best health outcomes, health-related decisions should be based on clear and correct understanding of relevant health information and services.

Project Shine
The Project SHINE-MetLife Foundation Health Literacy Initiative builds partnerships among universities and community based-organizations nationally to address the health literacy needs of elderly immigrants and refugees.

Quality Matters: Health Literacy -
The Commonwealth Fund

Rural Assistance Center - Cultural Competence and Limited English Proficiency
A product of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Rural Initiative, the Rural Assistance Center (RAC) was established in December 2002 as a rural health and human services "information portal." RAC helps rural communities and other rural stakeholders access the full range of available programs, funding, and research that can enable them to provide quality health and human services to rural residents. 

Rural Health Policy - Health Literacy Resources
These resources, compiled by the Health Resources and Administration (HRSA) Health Literacy Work Group, are helpful in developing health literacy programs and in providing training and technical assistance for grantees.

Smith on Social Marketing: Health Literacy

The Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC)
A non-profit organization that serves as the primary care association (PCA) for the state of Texas. TACHC's members include federally qualified health centers in the state and other providers who strive to meet the health care needs of the uninsured and underserved.

The Centre for Literacy - Health Literacy Links
The links collected on this page offer an introduction to the concept of "Health Literacy," and represent the best efforts of various non-profit, government, and educational agencies to raise awareness of the issue and promote best practices in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Centre for Literacy of Quebec - Health Literacy Project

The El Paso Collaborative Health Literacy Curriculum
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 National Literacy and Health Program
The Canadian Public Health Association's (CPHA) National Literacy and Health Program (NLHP) promotes awareness among health professionals of the links between literacy and health. People with low literacy skills may not understand what health professionals tell them. They may not be able to read health information. Some may not use health services, except in an emergency. CPHA's National Literacy and Health Program provides resources to help health professionals serve clients with low literacy skills more effectively. The program focuses on health information in plain language and clear verbal communication between health professionals and the clients they serve. CPHA is committed to maintaining and improving personal and community health according to the public health principles of prevention, promotion, protection and effective public policy. We believe that simple instructions and easy-to-read health information will help to improve health care for many Canadians.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Literacy Improvement
Health Literacy is the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. This website includes: tools for improving health literacy, government resources, and reports and research.

US Department of Health and Human Services HRSA Health Literacy

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Literacy Improvement
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Health Communication

Viswanath Lab -Harvard edu
This website is a resource for researchers, students, and practitioners interested in health communication, particularly as it relates to cancer disparities. In addition to projects specific to the Viswanath Lab, we have also compiled useful statistics and important readings for work in cancer disparities and communication. If you have suggestions or comments on how we may make this a more useful resource, please email us.

WebQuest Guide: Preparing Patient Education Materials

WorldEd - Health and Literacy Compendium Home Page Materials Development
An annotated bibliography of print and Web-based health materials for use with limited-literacy adults.

WOSU Health Literacy Project | Health Literacy for Patients