Voices From the Field: Celebrating Health Literacy Month with Jenn Bishop, ODPHP

It’s our favorite time of the year! This October, we’re celebrating 25 years of Health Literacy Month. For more than a quarter of a century, health comm professionals have been working to foster health literacy skills and make health information easier to access, understand, and use. To mark the occasion, we’re bringing you a special “Voices From the Field” interview with Dr. Jennifer Anne Bishop. Jenn leads the Health Promotion and Communication Division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP).

As it turns out, the 25^th annual Health Literacy Month was the perfect time to catch up with Jenn. In her 25 years working for the federal government, she’s seen health literacy evolve from an emerging field to a top public health priority. “During my career, I’ve witnessed firsthand how health literacy can empower people to make informed health decisions,” Jenn says. “I’m really excited about this anniversary because it’s a reminder of the progress we’ve made in public health to make sure that clear, accessible health information is a priority.”

For example, health literacy gained national attention with the release of ODPHP’s National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy in 2010. Since the Action Plan’s publication, “we’ve seen a great deal of interest in defining organizational health literacy and developing tools to support organizations as they try to integrate that into their daily practice,” Jenn says. In line with that evolution, ODPHP’s Healthy People initiative has expanded its definition of health literacy to include organizational health literacy. “I believe this is a critical advancement because it acknowledges that health literacy is not just the responsibility or status of an individual, but a responsibility for all levels of society,” Jenn explains. She points to the many actionable tools that were created over the past years to help organizations and health professionals adopt health literacy strategies — like the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s 10 Attributes of Health Literate Health Care Organizations and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Health Literacy resources.

Now, ODPHP is making plans to update the Action Plan to reflect the challenges of our ever-changing digital world. For Jenn, looking at literacy more holistically is a top priority. “The future Action Plan needs to have a stronger focus on the intersection between digital and personal and organizational health literacy,” Jenn emphasizes. “With increasing reliance on digital health tools, we need to make sure we’re presenting information in a way that people can fully navigate.” That means looking at the big picture of the online landscape and identifying new strategies for addressing mis- and disinformation. It also includes making digital health information accessible to diverse audiences. “Given the fact that our nation is becoming so much more diverse, we need to incorporate additional strategies to ensure that underserved populations, especially those with limited English proficiency, aren’t left behind,” Jenn says. To make sure the revised Action Plan reflects the needs of all population groups, ODPHP is reaching out to collaborators nationally and internationally. For starters, ODPHP is holding a listening session at the Health Literacy Annual Research Conference (HARC) on October 22. “We want to hear from our audience and get feedback on what worked, what didn’t work, and what’s new that should be added,” Jenn says. (Here’s the best part, dear reader — you can still sign up for the conference and participate in the listening session!)

We’re proud of the tools ODPHP and CH have created to advance health literacy — including MyHealthfinder, a digital tool that people can use to learn about preventive health services and get personalized recommendations, and Health Literacy Online, a guide to creating health communication materials that follow health literacy best practices. (A new edition of Health Literacy Online is also in the works!) Still, Jenn emphasizes that there’s more work to be done. Looking ahead, Jenn says: “I’m excited about engaging with partners, for example through our Health Literacy Workgroup, and seeing their excitement for this work. I’m also thrilled by the groundswell of interest we’re seeing from groups outside of the government about promoting health literacy. For me, it’s all about turning this excitement into action.” We couldn’t agree more!

The bottom line: As we celebrate the 25^th anniversary of Health Literacy Month, there’s a lot for health communicators to be proud of — and new challenges ahead. We’re glad Jenn Bishop and her team at ODPHP are invested in creating resources to support health literacy.

Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!): It’s the 25^th anniversary of Health Literacy Month! To celebrate, CommunicateHealth interviewed ODPHP’s Jenn Bishop about her work supporting health literacy. Check it out: https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/voices-from-the-field-celebrating-health-literacy-month-with-jenn-bishop-odphp #HealthLiteracy #HealthComm #25YearsOfHealthLiteracyMonth