Atlantic General Hospital - Integrated Health Literacy Program (IHLP)

Overview

In 2011, Atlantic General Hospital (AGH) and Worcester County Public Schools (WCPS) began their endeavor to address the health needs of the youngest members of the community by improving health literacy. The following year, the Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health (UMD) joined the team as a research partner. The team then collaborated to develop an integrated health literacy curriculum for elementary schools using a newly created set of health literacy standards and measures the team drafted for pilot testing in second grade.

The second-grade teachers developed lessons that did not increase their workload but instead immersed health literacy concepts into an already established reading language arts curriculum. Pre- and post-curriculum evaluations were conducted to measure health literacy levels and gather demographic information. After a successful pilot year, the program was expanded and now is currently taught in all core area classrooms (mathematics, science, social studies, and reading language arts) in grades one through six countywide. During the 2016-2017 school year, the program will be piloted in seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms at one local middle school.

Impact

The IHLP serves approximately 3,500 students. Students are taught four lessons integrated into their core area classrooms. Lesson topics vary per grade. However, each grade includes nutrition, physical activity, and other developmentally appropriate health topics such as substance abuse and emotional health. Students receive more than 30 extra class periods of health instruction. The second-grade pilot year showed a 58 percent increase in knowing how to talk to a doctor/nurse about their health, and 100 percent of the students were able to correctly identify "MyPlate." In grades two through five, there has been a statistically significant increase in overall health literacy. The IHLP is still awaiting sixth-grade results from the 2015-2016 school year.

Lessons Learned

The team has learned there needs to be a clear understanding of how health literacy differs from health education. Once the concept is grasped, teachers realize the program mission and the many possibilities for integrating health literacy standards into their curriculum. Throughout all stages of this program, the team has learned that the school principal’s involvement, support, and participation in the process are vital to the program’s success.

Future Goals

The IHLP plans to continue to work with WCPS and other key stakeholders to further implementation of the program throughout the remaining seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms countywide. The IHLP team will monitor all grades impacted to ensure the curriculum is still addressing community needs. The team would also like to expand the program into communities throughout the state and nation.

Contact: Toni Keiser
Vice President, Public Relations
Telephone: 410-641-1100
Email: tkeiser@atlanticgeneral.org