Date
November 2014
Description
Founded by graduate nursing students at Worcester State University (WSU), the Central Massachusetts Health Literacy Project (CMHLP) is an academic-community partnership with the vision of a healthier Central Massachusetts through health literacy efforts. Current health indicators of the greater Worcester area suggest that there is great need for building health literacy capacity. Although students are considered learners, many WSU graduate nursing students have roots in Central Massachusetts and have years of experience as health care providers. They come from diverse cultural, linguistic, and health care backgrounds. Their combined health care experiences and ability to interpret and perform scholarly work contribute to their ability to assess health literacy needs of local residents, identify the best health literacy practices, and formulate innovative solutions to poor heath literacy. CMHLP members have worked with Worcester Refugee Assistance Program, Elder Services of Worcester, and Central Mass/MetroWest Transitions in Care Collaborative. CMHLP members are not outsiders who come into a community to study and leave. Their commitment to the Worcester area not only helps sustain the collaborative but provides the important everlasting connection between the university and local community.
Keywords
health literacy
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Included in
Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Community-Based Research Commons, Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Translational Medical Research Commons
Building a Coalition to Promote Health Literacy in Central Massachusetts
Founded by graduate nursing students at Worcester State University (WSU), the Central Massachusetts Health Literacy Project (CMHLP) is an academic-community partnership with the vision of a healthier Central Massachusetts through health literacy efforts. Current health indicators of the greater Worcester area suggest that there is great need for building health literacy capacity. Although students are considered learners, many WSU graduate nursing students have roots in Central Massachusetts and have years of experience as health care providers. They come from diverse cultural, linguistic, and health care backgrounds. Their combined health care experiences and ability to interpret and perform scholarly work contribute to their ability to assess health literacy needs of local residents, identify the best health literacy practices, and formulate innovative solutions to poor heath literacy. CMHLP members have worked with Worcester Refugee Assistance Program, Elder Services of Worcester, and Central Mass/MetroWest Transitions in Care Collaborative. CMHLP members are not outsiders who come into a community to study and leave. Their commitment to the Worcester area not only helps sustain the collaborative but provides the important everlasting connection between the university and local community.
Comments
Poster presented at the 2014 UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science Community Engagement and Research Symposium, held on November 7, 2014 at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Mass.