Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) Regional Enhancements Addressing Disconnects (READS) in Cardiovascular Health Communication

Seminar (39 PowerPoint slides) The objective of SEPA- READS is to enhance the capacity of health care systems and professionals to address health literacy needs of adults’ (aged 50+) to improve cardiovascular health outcomes by 1) identifying, implementing and evaluating educational/systems changes designed to improve written materials, navigation and provider communication skills, and 2) enhancing the ability of older adults to communicate effectively with healthcare providers. This is accomplished by: 1) creating a broad-based Cardiovascular Health Literacy Coalition (CHLC) 2) improving the ability of adults to communicate effectively with healthcare providers/staff at multiple points of care. The CHLC consists of a Coalition Steering Committee that provides overall guidance to the project and is composed of project leadership and representatives from two Advisory Working Groups. These Working Groups include: 1) a Professional Advisory Group (PAG) with representation from at least 10 hospitals and/or health systems, local literacy initiatives, and cultural groups dealing with non-English speakers such as the Nationalities Service Center and Southeast Asian Mutual Assistant Association’s Coalition, and 2) a Community Advisory Group (CAG) to ensure cultural and health literacy relevance for older adults. The CHLC utilizes a multi-pronged approach that includes: 1) assessing the quality and content of communication across multiple points of care; 2) integrating literacy improvement techniques and strategies, such as Teach Back, use of Plain Language, Creating a Shame Free Environment, into staff development programs 3) activating patients through training on Ask Me 3. Ultimately the impact of SEPA-READS includes: 1) Institutionalization of effective communication strategies into the culture of patient quality and safety protocols; 2) Creation of a centralized repository for culturally and linguistically forms and educational materials; 3) Improved cardiovascular health outcomes in adults aged 50+; 4) Reduced CVD related readmissions; 5) Reduced CVD medical errors; and 6) Improved CVD patient self-care behaviors. Learning Objectives: Participants attending this session will be able to: 1. Organize an approach to recruiting multiple hospital/health systems into a literacy initiative 2. Apply a methodology of engaging hospitals, community organizations and older adults to address health literacy 3. Identify the challenges in addressing cardiovascular health literacy at multiple level

Building a Healthier Population

Dr. Simmons serves as the Program Director for the Master of Public Health (MPH) program and an Associate Professor for Thomas Jefferson University’s School of Population Health. Dr. Simmons overseas the overall direction of the program and teaches public health courses in Program Planning and Evaluation; Public Health Policy and Advocacy; Cultural Humility and Competence; and the Capstone Seminar. He also teaches in the Jefferson Medical College and coordinates the elective, “College Within a College” for 1st, 2nd and 3rd year medical students. Dr. Simmons serves as the Co-Director of Thomas Jefferson University’s Global Health Task Force which includes collaborative faculty and student education and research. Dr. Simmons’ professional background and research interests include community health education; health promotion and disease prevention; reducing individual, community, system and environmental risk factors in obesity prevention, tobacco control, and injury control, and eliminating health inequities. Dr. Simmons has over thirty-five years of experience working in state and local government, internationally in Latin America, voluntary health organizations, private foundations, private business, health care, and more recently in academia. Dr. Simmons has extensive experience in 1 working with collaborative health networks and coalitions on strategic planning, program planning, implementation, and evaluation, policy development and health advocacy. Prior to coming to Jefferson, Dr. Simmons was on the faculty at the Drexel University School of Public Health. Dr. Simmons’ academic credentials include a BA in Political Science and Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara, a Master’s of Public Health from Loma Linda University School of Public Health, and a Doctorate in Public Health in Community Health Sciences from the UCLA School of Public Health