Health Literacy Conference Set in Anaheim -- Leading Researchers and Analysts Meet to Discuss $73 Billion Healthcare Problem
The inability of patients to understand health information presented to them costs the American healthcare system more than $73 billion per year. Researchers, innovators, and those with solutions to the crisis-level issue of low health literacy in America will gather for this day and a half conference, May 9-10, 2002, in Anaheim.
The Institute for Healthcare Advancement (PRWEB) February 2, 2002 -
Whittier, Calif. – January 28, 2002 –profit organization that provides a wide variety of educational and community healthcare services, will host its first health literacy conference, Health Literacy: State of the Art 2002, on May 9th and 10th at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Anaheim, Calif.
The event will bring together some of the leading researchers and analysts on this subject for a critical one-and-a-half day review of the most innovative and most effective efforts to improve health literacy in the U. S. The conference is designed for those working in healthcare, health literacy, and those with an interest in literacy as it relates to healthcare issues.
The keynote speaker for the conference will be Robert Friedland, Ph. D., director of the Center on an Aging Society, who will present new research to update his findings regarding the cost of low functional health literacy in America.
“Dr. Friedland’s original study showed that more than $73 billion in unnecessary healthcare expenditures is attributable annually to patients with low literacy skills,” said Gloria Mayer, president of the Whittier, Calif.-based IHA. “There is a strong, proven correlation between low reading skills and poor health status, and this conference will explore how we can better equip people with tools they can use to improve their health and access to healthcare services.”
The conference roster of speakers is diverse and very grounded in such areas as research, practical solutions, health literacy and the law, and the costs of low functional health literacy, as measured from both the financial and personal perspectives. In addition to Dr. FriedlandÂ’s keynote address, the conference will feature: Pamela Wall from the Louisiana Department of Education, who will introduce the new Health Education Literacy Program (HELP), an innovative, comprehensive, free curriculum resource designed to teach basic reading and healthcare skills together; Lisa Bennett-Garrison, executive director of California Literacy, who will present the organizationÂ’s White Paper, Initiative on Health Literacy in California; and Frank McLellan, J. D., the I. Herman Stern Professor of Law at Temple University, who will discuss Health Literacy and the Law. Additional presentations, panel discussions and Q&A sessions are scheduled.
A special award will also be presented at the conference to recognize significant contributions to the health literacy field. The Bambi Holzer Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health Literacy is named after Bambi Holzer, a strong supporter of IHAÂ’s efforts to improve health literacy and a senior vice president with the investment firm, AG Edwards and Sons, Inc. Ms. Holzer, a longtime supporter of health literacy, is the author of Retire Rich: The Baby BoomerÂ’s Guide to a Secure Future.
For the complete conference schedule, go to www. iha4health. org and click on Health Literacy Conference. To receive a conference brochure or to register, call (800) 434-4633 or send an email to info@iha4health. org.
The Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA) is dedicated to advancing healthcare delivery through demonstration of innovative healthcare practices and education of healthcare professionals and consumers. The Institute provides healthcare information through its various publishing efforts, the World Wide Web, and its renowned local and national education programs. It also operates the Friends of Children Health Center, providing free medical and dental care for needy and uninsured youngsters in La Habra, Calif. For more information, visit www. iha4health. org.
