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