skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

What's Your Health-Care IQ? Forum to Tackle Health Literacy Crisis

play audio
Play

Monday, December 4, 2017   

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- When it comes to living a healthy life, access to health care is critical, but understanding how to use it is every bit as important - which is why advocates are working to improve health literacy statewide.

Michelle Ganote, events and communication coordinator at the Kentuckiana Health Collaborative, said when it comes to prescription information, discharge instructions and appointment scheduling, even the most well-informed consumers still struggle to navigate the complexities of our current health care system.

“Ninety million Americans have problems understanding basic health care information, yet we're expecting them to engage in an increasingly complex health care system,” Ganote said. "And we also know that poor health is associated with limited health literacy."

The Collaborative is holding a community health forum on Tuesday in Louisville in conjunction with Health Literacy of Kentucky to talk about ways to improve health literacy and, as a result, overall health in Kentucky. More information is available at KHCollaborative.org.

Ganote said while the problem is widespread, the people with the lowest levels of health literacy tend to be the most vulnerable populations:

"Older adults, minorities, people that have less than a high school education or low income levels and people that have compromised health status,” she said. "And so we have to think about health equity because these factors really put people at risk for poorer health outcomes."

She added that the problem is also a costly one for both patients and providers. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that increasing health literacy could save more than $100 billion per year.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Iowa families can apply for up to $7,600 a year for private school costs. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An ethics committee in the Republican-led Iowa House has dismissed a complaint filed by a group of community activists against a state lawmaker for hi…


play sound

Each spring, hundreds of thousands of California high school seniors have to figure out if they can afford to go to college in the fall - and two new …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A health care workforce shortage in New Hampshire is leaving Alzheimer's patients and their families with few options for treatment. Patients facing …


South Dakota ranks 49th in the country for its contribution to indigent legal defense costs, according to a 2023 report from the Indigent Legal Services Task Force. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

South Dakota is creating an Office of Indigent Legal Services after House Bill 1057 passed the Legislature with nearly unanimous support this month…

Environment

play sound

A Knoxville-based environmental group is voicing concerns over what it sees as an increasing financial strain imposed on taxpayers by nuclear weapons …

Environment

play sound

A bipartisan law set to take effect this summer prohibits foreign adversaries from buying Hoosier farmland. The signature of Gov. Eric Holcomb was …

Social Issues

play sound

Today, people across Arizona are voting in the Presidential Preference Election, a chance for registered Democrats and Republicans to choose their …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021