CVMS Health Literacy Hub 
for Patients and Providers

Welcome to the CVMS Health Literacy Hub

At the CVMS Health Literacy Hub, we believe that knowledge is the key to a healthier and more empowered life. Our mission within this context is to promote health literacy a) for our patients by providing reliable and easily accessible health-related information to individuals, families, and communities and b) for our providers by including articles, information and links to state-of-the-art updated medical information. 

What Is Health Literacy?

According to the U.S. government’s Healthy People 2030 initiative:

• Personal health literacy is the degree to which individuals (patients) have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to make informed health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.
• Organizational health literacy is the degree to which organizations like CVMS equitably enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to make informed health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.

                Also see the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy.

Why is Health Literacy Important?

1. Empowerment: Health-literate individuals have the knowledge and skills to actively participate in their healthcare, leading to better health outcomes.
2. Prevention: Understanding preventive measures and early detection strategies can significantly reduce the risk of various health issues.
3. Communication: Effective communication with healthcare providers is crucial for accurate diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care.
4. Cost Savings: Health-literate individuals are more likely to use healthcare resources wisely, reducing unnecessary hospital visits and associated costs.

Our Resources:

1. Articles and Blogs: Our regularly updated articles cover a wide range of health topics, from nutrition and exercise to mental health and chronic conditions.

2. Videos and Webinars: Engage with our educational videos and webinars featuring healthcare professionals, making complex health information more accessible.

3. Interactive Tools: The most innovative, interactive program that we have ever seen for patient education is available now through this website:

https://www.healthier757.org/.

And here is a link to the program itself:

rewardsforhealthyliving.com

Point your smartphone camera to the QR code on the left to register for the program on your phone so it's readily available when you want to use it or to demonstrate it to patients.

Healthier 757 is a free program developed by Dr. Tom Chamberlain at EdLogics that enables patients and their families to learn more about medical problems that they might be facing, or just to improve their general knowledge about health issues and preventive care. You will see that it is fun, entertaining, rewarding, and most of all provides a wealth of knowledge that is easily accessible and presented in a way that is easy to learn.

And the best thing is that you as a physician or provider can easily use a form from your desk to prescribe specific information for your patients to find on the Healthier757 website. You may even want to provide a computer terminal in your office that they could use while waiting for their appointment, or after their appointment is finished. The best way to get patients to follow a treatment program is to help them to learn why it is necessary for them to do so. This will help you do that.

See the video below...

Below is the form that you can download to your computer and print out. You may want to print several of them so they will be ready to use when you are seeing patients.

Health Education Prescription to Print for Patients:

And speaking of staying informed...

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Stay up to date on issues and news you need to know. The CVMS Bulletin is published monthly and will list concerns that local physicians have expressed about healthcare in Coastal Virginia and how we can make it better. We will provide potential solutions and let you know what is happening behind the scenes to help solve these problems. Membership is not currently required to receive the newsletter.