New PCHC Board Leadership

The Partnership for Clear Health Communication (PCHC) is pleased to announce a new addition to our Board of Directors: Owen Garrick, MD, MBA, Director of Corporate Strategy and M&A at McKesson Corporation.  Dr. Garrick leads McKesson's effort in vertical integration and is responsible for evaluating and managing new initiatives and business opportunities for the pharmaceutical division.  He earned his MD from the Yale School of Medicine, MBA from the Wharton School of Business and AB in Psychology from Princeton University.  Dr. Garrick serves on other health care-related boards and professional committees, including the American Medical Association Foundation and the New York Blood Center.  Welcome, Dr. Garrick!

The PCHC Board includes representatives from health literacy and health care provider organizations, consumer groups, public health associations and others committed to raising awareness of and developing solutions for the health literacy crisis in the U.S.  We will be announcing additional Board members in coming months.  Current members include:

John Clymer, President, Partnership for Prevention
Barbara DeBuono, MD, MPH, Senior Medical Director/Group Leader for Public Health, Pfizer, Inc
Carol Easley-Allen, Trustee, American Public Health Association
Owen Garrick, MD, MBA, Director of Corporate Strategy and M&A, McKesson; Board of Directors, American Medical Association Foundation
Elizabeth Keyes, Group Director, Strategic Alliance and Industry Relations, American Pharmacists Association
Kathy McNamara, Assistant Director of Clinical Affairs, National Association of Community Health Centers
Donna Phillips, Vice President for Member Relations and Community Programs, The National Council on the Aging
Susan Pisano, Vice President for Communications, America's Health Insurance Plans
Laurie Scudder, ACNP Liaison, American College of Nurse Practitioners

PCHC would also like to thank our outgoing Board members – Dr. Sharon Allison-Ottey, COSHAR Foundation; Marc Boutin, National Health Council; Linda Church, ProLiteracy Worldwide; and Janet Ohene-Frempong, JO Frempong & Associates – for their dedication in helping launch PCHC, educating others on the importance of improving our nation’s health literacy and working toward new solutions for achieving clear health communication in every provider-patient interaction.

FDA Unveils New Format for Prescription Drug Labels
In light of PCHC’s ongoing outreach to government agencies, we are encouraged by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s announcement that it is simplifying the format of its prescription drug package inserts. The new label format will provide the most important information about the medication in a format that is better understood, more easily accessible and more memorable for physicians – and patients should benefit as well. Some additions include:

  • “Highlights” section outlining the most important information about the drug’s risks and benefits
  • New Table of Contents section with easy reference to safety information
  • Date of initial product approval, making it easier to determine how long a product has been on the market
  • Toll-free phone number and website for reporting suspected adverse events

The insert guidelines will apply to all new drugs.  Use of the new labels will also be phased in over the next seven years for those drugs already on the market, as well as those now under FDA review.  Learn more: click here.

Universal Health Symbols Tested in Hospitals

Hablamos Juntos (“We Speak Together”), a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation devoted to helping health care facilities overcome language barriers, has developed 28 universally-recognized graphic health care symbols depicting important hospital destinations (for example, Registration, Surgery, Pharmacy, etc.).

Three hundred people from four different language groups – English, Spanish, IndoEuropean and Asian – provided input into the symbols’ design. From there, the symbols were tested in four hospitals across the country: Somerville Hospital in Somerville, Massachusetts; St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island, Nebraska; Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia; and Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, California. Results were overwhelmingly positive in the testers’ ability to recognize the symbols and reach their destinations more quickly and easily.

To learn more and to download the Universal Symbols in Health Care Workbook – a “how-to” guide for hospital CEOs, administrators and other health care professionals to incorporate these symbols – click here.. 

Resolutions for Better Health Literacy in 2006

The start of a fresh year is a good time to keep in mind that we can all become more involved with improving our nation’s health literacy. Take easy and immediate steps such as:

  • Educating yourself and your staff about the scope of the health literacy issue and what can be done to improve it.  Download Ask Me 3 brochures, posters and implementation kits or call 1-888-4-ASK-ME-3 to order materials.
  • Reaching out to public officials with your concerns, and sharing information about Ask Me 3 and other health literacy materials.
  • Reminding your constituents, patients, staff, friends and family to Ask 3 during every health care interaction.

 



The December 2005 issue of the Annals of Family Medicine featured a study from Dr. Barry Weiss on the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), the first literacy screening tool available in both English and Spanish that can be administered in approximately three minutes.  The NVS was found to be quick and effective in the primary care setting, and future research could determine whether it is effective in different medical settings.

Additionally, the study was highlighted in an Annals editorial, stating that “given the frequency of low health literacy and its effect on health and health care, this instrument deserves attention for both research and clinical use.” Learn more: click here

 

 


Spreading the Word on Medicare Part D
As part of PCHC’s work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on increasing awareness and understanding for beneficiaries and providers around the new Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit, we continue to encourage our member organizations to help disseminate this important information about the coverage, through simple outreach such as:

  • Sharing information in an upcoming newsletter
  • Including Medicare Rx brochures and tear sheets at your next conference booth
  • Linking your organization’s website to click here or click here for additional information
  • Hosting a local event to share materials and learn more from area Medicare officials

 


American College of Physicians Foundation: Call for Submissions
The American College of Physicians (ACP) Foundation is requesting submissions for presentations for its 2006 Fifth Annual National Health Communication Conference – to be held on November 29, 2006 in Washington, D.C. The series of conferences will focus on research and solutions to the problems of low health literacy.

The ACP Foundation seeks research to help advance the development of patient-centered programs that focus specifically on solutions for populations that are affected by low health literacy and have supporting data.  All submissions are due by February 6, 2006.  For additional information, contact Jonathan Uhl at juhl@acponline.org.

Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations
The Drexel University Center for Health Equality, Resources for Cross Cultural Health Care and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will hold the Fifth National Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations – “Building the Essential Link between
Quality, Cultural Competence, and Disparities Reduction” – on October 17-October 20, 2006 in Seattle, Washington.

Health care professionals, community representatives, policymakers, researchers and others are invited to submit brief proposals for a variety of presentation formats; the submission deadline for presentation proposals is February 28, 2006.  For details, click here.. 


CDC Health Communication Intern/Fellow Program
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is sponsoring a health communication training program to instruct participants on developing health communication campaigns.  Topics include:

  • Conducting audience research
  • Running targeted health communication and social marketing campaigns
  • Sharpening media relations expertise
  • Planning interactive media efforts

Relevant fields of education include, but are not limited to, communications, journalism, health education, anthropology, marketing and information technology/human computer interaction. To be considered, submit a resume to hctprogram@cdc.gov stating date of availability.  Positions are available year-round.