BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — Making educated decisions about our individual health is important. However, seeking help can be daunting for some because of the lack of knowledge of medical terms and how they affect our decisions for our own health.
HealthPoint is hoping to do more to bridge the gap when it comes to health literacy, or an individual's understanding of medical terms and health information.
“Health literacy has a lot to do with access so its your ability to comprehend medical terms its your ability to engage with health information its your ability to process what your doctor explains to you at your local clinics.” explained HealthPoint Marketing and Advocacy Specialist, Hannah League.
Lower health literacy is directly connected with individuals of lower income and education rates, which impacts many residents here in the Brazos Valley as well as across the U.S.
“I think it’s a problem that we experience nationwide and at HealthPoint, we’re invested in a few programs that help combat the issue of limited health literacy," explained League. "In our chronic care program we meet individually with our patients and help them develop a plan around their healthcare decisions.”
Ultimately, it's never too early to get educated on health care.
“Healthcare literacy really starts at young age so we are dedicated to investing in providing those materials in access starting from a young age with our ISD programs," she noted. "HealthPoint has actually opened up clinics within several ISDs in the community that we serve.”
With a myriad of questions surrounding health care, the organization wants residents to feel heard and comfortable when learning and discussing topics foreign to most individuals.
“I think its about adapting the experience to the patient and to their needs and assessing that patients background and their level of engagement with health information and really catering the experience for the patients,” League said.