FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Say Ah! leads inaugural “Patient 101” Workshop sponsored by Allstate at Haverstraw King’s Daughters Library January 25th
Health literacy workshop to include new “Tips for Talking with Your Doctor” Card
GARNERVILLE, NY (January 20, 2010) – Say Ah! will lead — Patient 101: How to Get More from Your Health Care — at Haverstraw King’s Daughters Library on Tuesday, January 25th from 2-3:30 pm to help patients, health care consumers, and caregivers improve their health by improving their health literacy. The workshop was created by local resident and Say Ah! co-founder Helene Eisman Fisher and is made possible by a generous grant from the Allstate Foundation as part of their Agency Hands in the Community Award given to Allstate Agent Maureen Harrison, located in Bardonia, for her commitment to volunteering in the community.
“Doctors go to school for years to learn how to be doctors, but no one teaches patients or caregivers how to be smart consumers,” said Say Ah! co-founder and local resident Helene Eisman Fisher. “I’m thrilled to be able to help my fellow Rocklanders get more from their health care!”
Say Ah!’s workshop will cover important topics, including getting ready for a doctor’s visit, getting more from the time with your doctor and tips for working with your health care team.
Say Ah!’s workshop coincides with the launch of Say Ah!’s Tips for Talking with Your Doctor, a wallet-size card that gives the basics of what to say — and ask — at a doctor’s visit, which is being used by the Rockland County Department of Health for patient education. The card’s friendly design and text allows it to be used by a wide range of people: those with low literacy levels, reading/learning differences, and vision impairments. Workshop participants will receive the card for their own use.
Say Ah! is a health literacy nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people understand health and medical information, and to improving communication between patients and health care providers. Say Ah! workshops provide people with the skills and information needed to access, understand and act on basic health and medical information.
Health literacy is “a stronger predictor of a person’s health than age, income, employment status, education level, and race” (Ad Hoc Committee on Health Literacy for the Council on Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association, JAMA, Feb. 10, 1999).
Those who suffer from low health literacy are less likely to access screening and prevention services, take medications as directed, and effectively navigate the health care system; and are at a far higher risk of hospitalization. Studies show that 90 million people in the U.S. suffer from low health literacy.
Say Ah!’s workshop can be particularly helpful to seniors, which according to the 2009 census represents 13.7% of the people living in the county.
While 80% of older Americans are managing at least one chronic condition (National Council on Aging), only three percent of seniors have proficient health literacy, and nearly 60% suffer from low health literacy (National Assessment of Adult Literacy 2003).
Tips for Talking with Your Doctor is also available to download for free at www.justsayah.org. The online version includes a form for people to keep track of their medications so that they can share this vital information with their providers. Hard copies of the card can be ordered at info@justsayah.org.
Workshop information is as follows:
WHEN: Tuesday, January 25, 2011
TIME: 2:00-3:30pm
WHERE: Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library (Located at: 10 West Ramapo Road, Garnerville NY, in the ShopRite Shopping Center; library web site: www.hkdpl.org).
For further information, visit Say Ah!’s web site at: www.justsayah.org.
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