It’s hard to imagine how confusing it is for immigrants to navigate the American health care system if their English language skills are weak. It’s hard enough for native English speakers, right? Now imagine trying to figure this out when you are stressed because a family member is injured or sick – exactly the situations when clear communication is most important.
One of the most popular programs at Literacy for Life is its HEAL program – described on the program’s website as “Teaching Students Skills to Take Control of Their Health.” It is not always easy to identify areas in which people who don’t speak English well can find themselves in difficulty; this program helps both the consumers and providers of health care bridge that communication gap.
First, the program offers an 8-week course for adults that increases their knowledge of current healthcare topics, medical terminology, and standard processes and practices. Students learn to:
Describe symptoms to a doctor
Read and understand medication instructions
Understand disease prevention
Know when to use Urgent Care instead of the Emergency Room
Understand medical forms
Ask medical staff questions to better understand diagnosis, prescriptions, and next steps
Identify lifestyle changes to improve health and practice prevention
Understand Advance Medical Directives
Know when to get help for mental health issues
As the second element, the program works to train medical professionals to raise awareness about the issue of low health literacy and gives practical tools and strategies for working with patients. Professionals gain skills in:
Identifying patients who find health literacy a challenge
Communicating clearly and effectively
Creating easy-to-read materials
Checking for comprehension
Being culturally sensitive
Once learners become comfortable with medical terminology, many of them move on to train for careers in medical fields – as dental technicians, massage therapists, and nurse’s aides, for example.
I have tutored two individuals who have taken advantage of Literacy for Life assistance in pursuing careers in health care. One received her LPN license and then moved on to nursing school with the help of Literacy for Life; the other is a massage therapist at a local Williamsburg spa, where she is able to make enough money to support herself and her daughter while growing in a profession that she enjoys.
Literacy for Life not only helps the students get the licenses they need for these careers – it also helps them through the job application and interview process to improve their chances for success. Employers in the Williamsburg area know Literacy for Life very well; when a job applicant comes to them with a recommendation from Literacy for Life, the employer knows that the applicant is not only well trained but will continue to have the support of Literacy for Life as they move into their jobs.
I’ll give you an example of this. One of the women I tutored was working as an LPN at a local facility where the staff at her level were not being treated very professionally. I helped her figure out how to express her concerns to her immediate superior, how to respectfully go over that superior’s head if it was necessary to achieve the result that she wanted, how to apply for a new job when the situation remained unresolved, how to respectfully submit her resignation letter without burning bridges, and how to respond to her new employer if she was asked about why she left her previous job. She is very happy at her new job, where she’s making more money than she was before and where she is treated as an important part of a professional health care team. This is good for her and her family but also for everyone in the community.
Just another reason why I’m so happy living here: people helping people provide benefits to our entire community. Great read.