Low Literacy Workshops for Poison Prevention Educators
The Home Safety Council is proud to work with Banner Poison Control Center (BPCC) to develop a unique poison outreach program to reach the underserved, low literacy population. Nearly half of all American adults—90 million people—have difficulty understanding and using health information and there is a higher rate of hospitalization and use of emergency services among patients with limited health literacy, according to a report from the Institute of Medicine titled Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion.
In response to this staggering statistic, BPCC received a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to conduct workshops with every poison control center in the United States on the topic of communicating important safety messages to a low literacy population. The project addresses the HRSA Poison Control Program (PCP) strategic goal to develop poison prevention materials for people with limited literacy skills. http://homesafetycouncil.org/home/home_aug08_w002.aspx