Welcome to Pennsylvania Health Literacy Coalition

Date/Time: June 6th from 1pm to 4pm ET and June 7th from 9am to 12pm ET

Virtual Event - Register below:

This event will be held on Zoom through Mighty Networks. Make sure to RSVP for each day to receive the Zoom link to join - Day 1 here and Day 2 here.

You're invited to our next virtual event, "Screening Without Stigma: Health Literate Ways to Ask Hard Questions," on June 6th from 1pm to 4pm ET and June 7th from 9am to 12pm ET! Preliminary health screenings are essential, but there are often underlying issues that aren’t easily identified. Rethink your approach with us!

PAHLC’s summer virtual event brings together folks from across Pennsylvania for an enlightening two days of learning and discussion. Before health care professionals can administer any care, they must gather information to assess each patient properly. While preliminary physical or psychological health screenings are essential, often, there are underlying issues that aren’t easily identified. These often include social determinants of health, such as food insecurity, housing, and income level.

This two-day summit will provide resources and allow for shared experiences to better understand what is needed by those under our care. We will discuss new guidelines and requirements from national organizations that will become mandatory in 2024. Each day will feature a keynote speaker, a panel discussion, and an activity to help improve the care given to those in need.

Addressing challenges related to healthy literacy is a priority in Pennsylvania. Health care providers, community organizations, regional coalitions, and many other stakeholders have long recognized the need to improve health communication in the Commonwealth. In 2014, growing interest in a statewide coalition led the Pennsylvania Department of Health to provide funding to establish the Pennsylvania Health Literacy Coalition (PAHLC). The Health Care Improvement Foundation serves as the lead organization for the PAHLC. Major PAHLC priorities to date include establishing strong cross-sector partnerships, empowering patients to access the health information they need to thrive, and influencing provider and system-level change to create a culture of health literacy. The ultimate goal of these activities is to improve health communication and ensure good health for all.  Please see our Resources page for more information on supporting patients and providers to address health literacy needs.

The Pennsylvania Health Literacy Coalition is an initiative of the Health Care Improvement Foundation (HCIF), funded by a Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH). Click here to read more about HCIF’s regional health literacy initiatives.