Understanding and Accessing your Healthcare System in Los Angeles

Health Care Access

San Gabriel Valley

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

We are addressing the impact of low health literacy on patients which is very well explained by the following excerpt from a 2016 National Library of Medicine published study titled "Health Literacy and Access to Care" by Helen Levy, PhD & Alex Janke BS: "Individuals with low health literacy are significantly more likely than individuals with adequate health literacy to delay or forego needed care or to report difficulty finding a provider, even after controlling for other factors including health insurance coverage, employment, race/ethnicity, poverty, and general cognitive function. They were also more likely to lack a usual source of care, although this result was only marginally significant after controlling for other factors. The results show that in addition to any obstacles that low health literacy creates within the context of the clinical encounter, low health literacy also reduces the probability that people get in the door of the health care system in a timely way.

Our program continues and expands improvement of health literacy and healthcare access through: 1. 90 minute in person interactive workshops include the following modules (all content is at a 9 years of age reading level) : "Understanding the Language of Health (Health Literacy)" "Your Rights as a Patient" "How to Stand up for Yourself and Be Heard and the ePatient" "How to Research Eligibility For, Sign up and Maintain your Healthcare Insurance" "How to Research Online as an ePatient" "Where to Get Help in Los Angeles" Followed by a Q&A The workshops are facilitated discussions that allow participants to share their stories and experiences. It provides a chance for like-minded participants to share what has, and hasn't worked for them. This creates a community for participants to share and support one another after the workshop is completed. 2. Workshop follow up which includes: a) A phone number and email address which can be reached with questions b) A follow up email newsletter with a sample video and text copy of the workshop and answers to questions unanswered in it c) A monthly newsletter with information on the workshops and other resources available to the HHP community d) "Train the Trainer" workshops for suitable workshop attendees, trained to give the program with follow up support meetups their local communities, supported by HHP on an ongoing basis. e) HHP Patient education courses f) Online forums and groups

Our vision for the success of the project is to have helped vulnerable and underserved individuals in San Gabriel Valley to gain access to healthcare with significantly improved patient outcomes and decreased medical errors. Additionally, we envision that our project will help to create a community of patient empowerment and safety with the leadership of local volunteers trained by HHP, who are knowledgable in being able to help their communities to understand the healthcare resources they are entitled to and where people are confident in accessing their healthcare system. Our vision for the future is for all individuals in Los Angeles to be able to receive the benefit of the program and for it to be funded for example, by Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and other city, county, state and federal agencies and for the program to be made available to individuals throughout the US and other countries.

Phil Harrington, HHP CEO, (who founded HHP following a three year undiagnosed, debilitating illness that started one year after moving from Ireland to Los Angeles in 1995) led a pilot of the health literacy patient advocacy workshops in 2022 in Northern Ireland with substantial outcomes (a copy of the independent evaluation is available). In the 2022 pilot program, outcomes were measured with initial and final workshop survey questions. Follow up newsletters and newsletters to workshop attendees and registrants who were unable to attend also included an outcomes survey. The proposed project is an expansion of the pilot program as outlined in section 7. In addition to the workshop and follow up newsletter surveys, individuals will be surveyed after each interaction including a) After support emails and calls b) In follow up and monthly newsletters c) Following taking patient education courses d) Train the trainer workshops, initial and final surveys as in the workshops.