January, 2020
In this issue:
-Save the Date! Health Insurance Literacy Forum 2020
-2019 Publications
-Presenting on Patient-Centered Labels Around the State
-2020 Programming
-Personalized Trainings for Your Team
-Part-time Job Opening
Save the Date for Wisconsin's Health Insurance Literacy Forum
Madison, WI 8/6/2020
Requests for a health insurance literacy forum came pouring in at the last Summit. To meet the need, Wisconsin Health Literacy joined forces with experts in the health insurance field to plan a Health Insurance Literacy Forum located in Madison, Wisconsin on August 6, 2020.

"Help your members make the most of their health benefits." This one-day forum is open to professionals and benefit managers looking to improve their health insurance communications and implementation strategies.

More details coming soon!
2019 Publications
Best Practices to Advance Health Literacy in a Wisconsin Adult Literacy Coalition

The special issue on the intersection of Health Literacy and Adult Education was released by the Health Literacy Research to Practice journal. Review Wisconsin Health Literacy’s publication, Best Practices to Advance Health Literacy in a Wisconsin Adult Literacy Coalition, available online .
Let's Talk About Pain Medicines - Workshops on the Safe and Effective Use of Prescription Opioids

Publication in the Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis on 09/13/2019 available online .
2020 Programming
WHL Awarded Grant from Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation
Let's Talk About Pain Medicines focuses on alternative treatments

Thanks to the support from the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation (WMSF), Wisconsin Health Literacy (WHL) will organize 10 educational Let's Talk About Pain Medicines workshops, to adults in select communities throughout Wisconsin. Participants will learn how to safely and effectively use prescription opioids while learning other pain treatments as an alternative to taking opioids. WHL will seek Wisconsin Medical Society member physicians to facilitate the workshops. This p roject is funded by the Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation (WMSF), Henry and Irene Anderson Fund, PIC Wisconsin Outcomes Research Project Endowment and Medical Outcomes Research Project Fund. It continues the work from the successful pilot "Let's Talk About Pain Medicines" project sponsored by WMSF in 2018-2019. 
More opportunities for you to host a health literacy workshop or training in your community are available.

Topics include:
  • Let's Talk About Pain Medicines
  • Let's Talk About Opioids
  • Health Online: Finding Information You Can Trust
  • Improving Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementia Care Through Health Literacy

Visit our website for complete programming details.
 Phase One of Digital Health Literacy Program Final Report

Wisconsin Health Literacy (WHL) was successful in implementing a new digital health literacy program, bringing awareness to the importance of looking for credible health information online and how to access and navigate online resources.Thanks to the support from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine - Greater Midwest Region (NNLM-GMR), WHL presented to 336 participants (296 who attended community-based workshop and 40 librarians who attended train-the-trainer session). In addition, approximately 230 professionals from variety of professional backgrounds attended a webinar and presentations at two national conferences. Total project reach was 566 people.

The program reached several diverse populations as 180 participants identified being 55 years or older, 53 identified having low literacy, and 78 identified being as an English Language Learner. The project reached 17 different ethnicities in 22 Wisconsin counties.

The project met the following objectives - increasing confidence in finding reliable health information online, identifying ways to check for credibility, learning about resources provided by the NNLM, and exceeding sustainability expectations. The most noted accomplishment was a high demand for the project to be implemented in more libraries throughout the state than the grant allowed. WHL was awarded continued funding for a second phase of the project. The second phase is currently being implemented with an additional 25 community-based workshops and 10 train-the-trainers for library professionals. In addition, the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) All of Us program has contracted with WHL to implement the project on a national level.

If you're interested in being added to the mailing list for the All of Us digital literacy program announcements, email Caitlyn Mowatt at [email protected] .
Presenting on Patient-Centered Labels
Around the State
During the fall, almost 200 pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and student pharmacists across Wisconsin attended one of the following workshops on patient-centered labels:

  • Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy on September 6, 2019
  • Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin (PSW) Annual Meeting in Green Bay on September 13, 2019.
  • Coulee Region Pharmacy Association at Piggy's Restaurant in La Crosse on October 9, 2019
  • Brown County Pharmacist Association at Hagemeister Park in Green Bay on November 7, 2019.

Thank you to all those who attended the lively sessions and to the four groups above for partnering with us to present the workshops. Special thanks to PSW for their partnership!
Pictured above: Pharmacist Hashim Zaibak presenting at the 2019 Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin Annual Meeting
Personalized Trainings for Your Team
Health Literacy Services
Engage your team with customized trainings
Wisconsin Health Literacy can work with you and your team to bring customized trainings and consultations that meet your organizational needs. Our services go beyond the basics. Our health literacy professionals specialize in the following:
  • Communication Workshops
  • Health Equity Workshops
  • Tailored Presentations
  • Communication and Product Review
  • Health Care Organizational Assessment
  • Health Literacy Consulting
“The process of co-creating our explanation of benefits (EOB) with the help, guidance, and support from the Wisconsin Health Literacy Team was invaluable. Working with community members opened our eyes to areas that we could improve on—pulling us out of our day-to-day health insurance mindsets and ultimately allowing us to produce an EOB that is easier to understand and use for everyone.”
-Co-creation Participant
Wisconsin Health Literacy presented a two-day Health Equity and Literacy Workshop at the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA), pictured below.

WHA shared their experience in a newsletter you can read about on the right. Click the image to direct you to the newsletter page.

If you're interested in learning more about services we can provide your team, visit:
We're Hiring!
Project Specialist
Part-time Position
The Project Specialist is a member of the team for Wisconsin Health Literacy (WHL), a division of Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. The Specialist provides project support to the WHL team under the direction of the division’s Director and Associate Director. Responsibilities include planning, writing, testing, and implementing community-based projects across Wisconsin, with a focus on vulnerable populations and those served by Wisconsin Literacy member agencies. Responsibilities also include coordination for community education, as well as other health literacy and health equity programs, assisting in project development, coordination, and implementation; grant writing support; and enhancing relationship building and networking.

The position will start at 20 hours/week, based on current project grant funding. Additional hours in the future are possible, based on new grant funding. The position is based at the Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. statewide office in Madison, WI.


Please contact Stan Hudson, Health Literacy Director, at [email protected].
Wisconsin Health Literacy | 608-257-1655 | www.wisconsinhealthliteracy.org