Health Literacy Activities by State

The links on this page include state and local collaborations and academic, government and non-profit organizations with a health literacy focus. In line with the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, activities listed on this page cross organizational boundaries or provide new knowledge to the field. Links to organizations promoting their own internal health literacy activities or individuals promoting their health literacy services will not be included on this page. Web sites reproducing material already available on this site also will not be included. Please read the web site selection policy [PDF -44KB] before nominating links for this page. You may send suggestions for new links to healthliteracy@cdc.gov.

Arizona

Arizona Health Literacy Coalition
The Arizona Health Literacy Coalition is an informal group of individuals and organizations interested in promoting health literacy in Arizona.

Health Literacy Arizona
The Arizona Health Literacy Collaboration brings together a broad range of experience and expertise in both health literacy and in working with those most in need in Arizona.

Arkansas

Partnership for Health Literacy in Arkansas
The mission of The Partnership is to improve health literacy among Arkansans by developing strategies and promoting collaboration.

California

Institute for Healthcare Advancement
The Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) is a not-for-profit, 501 (c)(3) private operating foundation with a mission of empowering people to better health.

Health Research For Action, UC Berkeley School of Public Health
Health Research for Action is a center in UC Berkeley's School of Public Health with over 20 years' experience creating research-based tools, programs, and policies to promote healthy communities.

Florida

Florida Health Literacy Initiative
The Florida Literacy Coalition and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida make targeted grants to promote health literacy. The goal is to provide health-education resources for local adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and family literacy programs so that students in these programs can make informed choices about their health and nutrition. The Coalition also develops and distributes health curricula for adult education students.

Indiana

Indiana Center for Intercultural Communication
The Center's research on Intercultural Health Communication provides linguistic solutions to problems arising in the processing, comprehension, and interpretation of health-related communication.

Iowa

Health Literacy Iowa
Health Literacy Iowa promotes and facilitates the ability of all Iowans to use effective communication to optimize their health.
 

Iowa Department of Public Health Plain and Simple
This health literacy project focuses on using plain language to help public health workers and partners get their message across.

Kansas

Health Literacy Kansas
Health Literacy Kansas brings together organizations to address health literacy issues in the state. The collaboration is supported in part by Kansas Head Start.

Kentucky

Health Literacy Kentucky
Health Literacy Kentucky is a partnership of more than 35 organizations that have come together to address the issues and challenges associated with limited health literacy in Kentucky.

Maryland

Horowitz Center for Health Literacy, University of Maryland
The Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy has been established to address the major public health problem of poor health literacy and its effect on health outcomes

Massachusetts

The Central Massachusetts Health Literacy Project

Minnesota

Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership
The mission of the Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership is to improve the health of all Minnesotans through clear health communication.

Missouri

Health Literacy Missouri
HLM is a non-profit corporation based in St. Louis with a mission is to improve the health of all Missourians while becoming a national leader in health literacy.

New Jersey

New Jersey Health Literacy Coalition
The New Jersey Health Literacy Coalition (NJHLC) is a not-for-profit organization committed to improving health outcomes and increasing the efficiency of the health care system through better communication between health care professionals and the diverse communities they serve.

Nebraska

Health Literacy Nebraska
The consortium consists of healthcare providers, librarians, students, literacy and English language instructors, educators, state and local public health staff and consumers focused on improving health literacy In Nebraska.

New York

Literacy Assistance Center Health Literacy Initiative
The Literacy Assistance Center's New York City Health Literacy Initiative offers a variety of materials to help adult education practitioners and healthcare providers understand and work to improve health literacy.

North Carolina

North Carolina Health Literacy Council
The Council is dedicated to promoting health literacy through a program of awareness, professional education, collaboration and best practice dissemination.

North Carolina Program on Health Literacy
The Program on Health Literacy represents a collaborative effort of the UNC Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Education as well as community organizations and neighboring universities. The group’s overarching goal is to further health literacy collaborations among university disciplines to improve health outcomes.

Ohio

Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland
The Foundation has developed a Health Literacy Initiative that is working toward an integrated approach to literacy and health in Cuyahoga County in which multiple stakeholders – patients, health care providers and insurers, schools, libraries, media, the business community, government agencies and other community organizations – play a role.

Collaborative for Clear Health Communication
Convened by The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Office of Outreach & Engagement and Area Health Education Center (AHEC), the Collaborative members represent public and private state-wide organizations that have an interest in and an impact on health literacy within healthcare systems, industry, or in communities.

Texas

The Literacy Coalition of Central Texas
The Literacy Coalition of Central Texas health literacy initiative forms strategic partnerships with healthcare providers and adult education institutions in order to raise awareness and promote strategies to improve patient-provider communication, and thus improve the health of our community members.

San Antonio Health Literacy Initiative
The purpose of the San Antonio Health Literacy Initiative and Collaborative is to act as a county-wide expert roundtable in health literacy by bringing together representatives from various entities, both public and private, to share their experiences and possible solutions addressing low health literacy in San Antonio.

Virginia

Fairfax County Health Literacy Initiative

The consortium consists of education, health, and community organizations that seek to promote health and well-being in Fairfax County, Virginia and beyond.

Wisconsin

Health Literacy Wisconsin
Health Literacy Wisconsin is a division of Wisconsin Literacy, a nonprofit coalition representing a membership of 60 community-based literacy agencies.