AAD is a strong advocate for collaborations and partnerships. Realizing the success and positive impact of its school-based health literacy program, AAD successfully secured NNLM MAR funding, planned and offered a K-12 Health Literacy symposium for key stakeholders titled: Disseminating K-12 Health Literacy Efforts: A Learning Collaborative for Key Stakeholders. This day-long symposium was held on March 24, 2017 at the University of Pittsburgh, Cathedral of Learning, Room 2017 from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm and attended by over 60 participants.
To learn more about AAD’s School-based K-12 Health Literacy to Promote Positive Youth Development Program, check out the symposium video links and symposium agenda below. You can also learn about the recognitions that the symposium received, which include letters from Governor Tom Wolf, Mayor William Peduto, Congressman Mike Doyle, here.
K-12 Health Literacy: A necessary Element of Achieving Health Equity
Title: Health literacy Perspectives – A K-12 Spin
Speaker: Robert Logan, Communication Research Scientist, National Library Medicine
Description: In this talk, Robert Logan provides a broadened scope/definition of health literacy. Robert goes in-depth sharing examples from his work with the K-12 NLM project with HOSA and introduces examples of health seeking lesson plans for this population. Robert concludes by illustrating the current challenges in this area of K-12 health literacy and the limited evaluation of current K-12 health literacy programs.
Title: 100 Black Men of Western PA, Inc
Speaker: Mario Browne, Director of Health Sciences Diversity, Office of Health Sciences Diversity
Description: Mario Browne shares the many efforts being made in the health sciences to address K-12 health literacy in his community. Mario also discusses his involvement with the “100 Black Men of Western PA, Inc.” mentoring program for black men.
Title: K-12 Health Literacy: A Two Way Street
Speaker: Dr. Bruce Block, Chief Learning & Medical Informatics Officer, Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative
Description: Dr. Bruce Block’s presentation contextualizes the challenges of literacy efforts. Drawing from his many years of experiences with the Diabetes program, he engaged participants and provided a variety of models underscoring the many attributes that frame and promote wellness and not just medical care. He made it clear how health happens between doctor’s visits and advocated for shared ways to enhance behavioral health services and life skills education.
Title: UPMC Shadyside School Health Partnership
Speaker: Dr. Bruce Block, Chief Learning & Medical Informatics Officer, Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative
Presentation: Arita Gilliam Rue, Project Director, UPMC School Health Partnership, UPMC Shadyside Hospital
Description: Bruce also shared Arita Gilliam Rue’s presentation titled: “UPMC Shadyside School
Health Partnership” and provided the more than 20 years’ program history and ways it continues to
address medical, public health and behavioral change perspective to supplement the fact-based
Pittsburgh Public School’s sexuality education curriculum. New directions for the program were
shared to address students’ traumatic experiences.
K-12 Health and Wellness Initiatives (Panel Discussion)
The next panel discussion titled: “K-12 Health and Wellness Initiatives continued on the
conversations of the October 28, 2014 education summit held at the University of Pittsburgh and
sponsored by the Heinz Endowment summit titled: “Are Academics Enough” hosted by the University
of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work and the Center on Race and Social Problems.
Title: Teen Health Survey Outcomes
Speaker(s): Hannah Hardy, Program Manager—Chronic Disease Prevention Program, Allegheny Health Department
Description: Hannah Hardy shared her extensive countywide work with students as well as the Teen
Health survey outcomes.
Title: Pitt Bridge program
Speaker(s): Dr. Robert Branch
Description: Dr. Robert Branch shared his Pitt Bridge program and gave a synopsis of its origins and
current efforts in Pittsburgh.
Title: Panel discussion
Speaker(s): Obama Academy of International Studies high school students
Description: Symposium attendees had a great opportunity to learn from a panel of Obama Academy of
International Studies high school students who went through the Health Literacy program when they
were still 9th and 10th graders. They were able to share the different ways they benefited from the program and articulated the negative effects of gentrification in the East Liberty area of Pittsburgh.
Health Equity: A Health Department and Community Challenge
Title: Health Equity: A Health Department and Community Challenge
Speaker: Dr. Karen Hacker, Director of Allegheny Health Department
Description: The Keynote speaker was Dr. Karen Hacker, the Director, Allegheny Health Department and
her presentation titled: Health Equity: A Health Department and Community’s Challenge provided an abundant amount of County Data on social determinants of health, poverty levels, demographic shifts with
gentrifications and its impact on the African American community. She also provided details on the plan for a Healthier Allegheny 2015, geographic approaches, disease specific health inequalities homicide, opioids related deaths, and the 2017 County Health Data. Dr. Hacker shared valuable information about hot-spotting and cold-spotting as well. She concluded her talk by sharing specifics about the Live Well Allegheny. She engaged the participants by using these questions to direct the whole group discussions: Given the context of county health inequalities:
What are the obvious links to health literacy?
What are the opportunities for intervention?
What next steps should we prioritize?
Afternoon Sessions
The afternoons sessions consisted of small group breakout brainstorming discussions. This was supervised by session coordinators Damion Wilson and Hannah Hardy. Using a “Problem Tree Analysis” Nancy Zionts, Jaime Turek, and Michelle Burda as group leaders, worked with their team members and identified root causes, consequences, potential solutions, and suggestions for establishing a K-12 learning collaborative.
Title: Next Steps/Action/ Recommendations: Establishing a K-12 Learning Collaborative for Key Stakeholders.
Speaker(s): Tracy Soska, Kathryn Vargas and Thuy Bui
Description: Addressing issues raised during the day as well as during the group sessions, Tracy
Soska, Kathryn Vargas and Thuy Bui did a splendid job and revealed both the benefits and challenges
of addressing the K-12 health literacy within communities. Moderated by Dr. Lynne Williams, panelists used personal experiences in this field to highlight and conclude the session as well as the next steps needed to continue discussions in a sustainable manner.
Title: Closing Remarks
Speaker(s): Renae Barger
Description: Finally, AAD provided a few closing remarks to underscore the importance
of this work with the K-12 student population. Renae Barger did a splendid job in closing the
symposium by reiterating the importance of addressing K-12 health literacy within communities.
Report back Sessions
The symposium concluded with report back sessions where each group shared their group outcomes.
Based on symposium presentations and discussions, this core group of key stakeholders successfully explored the scope of K-12 health literacy issues and the need to develop a set of basic indicators for the K-12 health literacy for integration in the school system. Although partners and the Pittsburgh Public Schools marketed the event, its resounding success in recruitment was a result of tapping into existing relationships already established. Both word of mouth, referrals, and individual invitations helped us to exceed the 25-40 participants we had planned for. We ended up with over 60 symposium participants representing the following zip codes: 15201, 15210, 15221, 15205, 15219, 15541, 15086, 15206, 15233, 15260, 15261, 15222, 15224, 15213, 15215, 15261, 15212, 15217 and 16066. Participant’s recommendations include the need to involve more participation by students, families, teachers and education administrators and policy makers and the need to adopt multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral approaches beyond the healthcare system. Sustainability is integral to this effort and partnering organizations expressed interest to continue with the effort beyond the symposium event. Overall, it was a great symposium with a lot of potential to continue conversations on k-12 health literacy for school age students.