Health Literacy Activities by State
K-12 Literacy and Numeracy State Data
- National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading, Math and Science scores for 4th, 8th and 12th gradersexternal icon
- Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Reading, Math and Science Literacy scores for 15 year oldsexternal icon
The links on this page include state and local collaborations and academic, government and non-profit organizations with a health literacy focus. In line with the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy pdf icon[665 KB, 73 Pages]external icon, activities listed on this page cross organizational boundaries, provide new knowledge to the field, or convene diverse stakeholders. Links to organizations promoting their own internal health literacy activities or individuals promoting their health literacy services will not be included on this page. Web sites reproducing material already available on this site also will not be included. Please read the web site selection policy pdf icon[100 KB, 2 Pages, HTML] before nominating links for this page. You may send suggestions for new links to healthliteracy@cdc.gov.
Alabama
Alabama Health Literacy Initiativeexternal icon
The purpose of the Alabama Health Literacy Initiative is to support patient-centered educational opportunities, guide outreach activities, and create partnerships to advance health literacy and improve health outcomes in the state of Alabama.
Arizona
Arizona Health Literacy Coalitionexternal icon
The Arizona Health Literacy Coalition is an informal group of individuals and organizations interested in promoting health literacy in Arizona.
Health Choice Arizonaexternal icon
At Health Choice Arizona, we are committed to making health care accessible and meaningful to all of our members through high quality, culturally competent services and through community health education.
Arkansas
Partnership for Health Literacy in Arkansasexternal icon
The mission of The Partnership is to improve health literacy among Arkansans by developing strategies and promoting collaboration.
UAMS Center for Health Literacyexternal icon
The mission of the UAMS Center for Health Literacy is to improve society and population health by making health information easier to understand and use.
Colorado
Colorado Health Literacy Coalition (CHLC)external icon
The Colorado Health Literacy Coalition promotes health literacy by providing resources, training and best practices through collaboration with organizations across the state.
Florida
Florida Health Literacy Initiativeexternal icon
The Florida Literacy Coalition and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida make targeted grants to promote health literacy. The goal is to provide health-education resources for local adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and family literacy programs so that students in these programs can make informed choices about their health and nutrition. The Coalition also develops and distributes health curricula for adult education students.
Georgia
Georgia Alliance for Health Literacyexternal icon
The Georgia Alliance for Health Literacy (GAHL) is a nonprofit, volunteer coalition representing educators, researchers, government officials, health care providers, health care payers, patients and consumers. GAHL members raise awareness about health literacy skills, offer health literacy resources, and foster better communication for a healthy Georgia and a robust health care industry.
Indiana
Indiana Center for Intercultural Communicationexternal icon
The Center’s research on Intercultural Health Communication provides linguistic solutions to problems arising in the processing, comprehension, and interpretation of health-related communication.
Kansas
Health Literacy Kansasexternal icon
Health Literacy Kansas brings together organizations to address health literacy issues in the state. The collaboration is supported in part by Kansas Head Start.
Kentucky
Health Literacy Kentuckyexternal icon
Health Literacy Kentucky is a partnership of more than 35 organizations that have come together to address the issues and challenges associated with limited health literacy in Kentucky.
Maryland
Horowitz Center for Health Literacy, University of Maryland external icon
The Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy has been established to address the major public health problem of poor health literacy and its effect on health outcomes.
Massachusetts
Lawrence (Massachusetts) Health Literacy Programexternal icon
This program is in partnership with the Mayor’s Health Task Force of Lawrence, Greater Lawrence Family Health Center’s residency program, and Lawrence Youth Council. It provides 8 health kiosks, a youth information booth, and a health literacy after-school program at the public library.
Minnesota
Minnesota Health Literacy Partnershipexternal icon
The mission of the Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership is to improve the health of all Minnesotans through clear health communication.
Missouri
Health Literacy Media (HLM)external icon
HLM is a non-profit corporation based in St. Louis with a mission to improve the health of Missourians and all people while becoming a global leader in health literacy.
New York
Literacy Assistance Center Health Literacy Initiativeexternal icon
The Literacy Assistance Center’s New York City Health Literacy Initiative offers a variety of materials to help adult education practitioners and healthcare providers understand and work to improve health literacy.
North Carolina
North Carolina Health Literacyexternal icon
The Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) serves as the information hub of health literacy efforts on campus and throughout the state of North Carolina. We strive to increase awareness of health literacy and its impact, and provide information and resources on health literacy best practices to improve patient care.
Ohio
Ohio Health Literacy Partnersexternal icon
Ohio Health Literacy Partners (OHLP) is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Ohioans to make informed health choices through improved health literacy.
OHLP was created in 2013 to bring together a coalition of interested professionals from around Ohio who have expertise in health literacy. The intent is to address the individual, professional. and organizational challenges of low health literacy throughout the state.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Health Equity Campaignexternal icon
The Oklahoma Health Equity Campaign (OHEC) is a statewide collaborative of faith-based, community, educational, public and private organizations and all levels of government to eliminate inequities for all populations. The partners have formed a health literacy committee to develop an Oklahoma Health Literacy Action Plan.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Health Literacy Coalitionexternal icon
The Pennsylvania Health Literacy Coalition fosters collaboration and partnerships, builds infrastructure for health literacy training, and creates a culture of health literacy in Pennsylvania. The ultimate goal of these activities is to improve health communication and ensure good health for all.
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South Carolina
South Carolina Hospital Association Health Literacy Initiativeexternal icon
The South Carolina Hospital Association and researchers at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health have developed an initiative that assesses patient communication needs and uses an evidenced-based strategy to improve health literacy, patient-provider communication, and health outcomes.
Texas
SaferCare Texasexternal icon
Our team is committed to creating a new culture of safety in health care for Texas by challenging traditional thinking to eliminate preventable harm. We are focused on reducing medical errors and assuring Texans receive the highest quality of health care through extensive education, community outreach initiatives and quality improvement programs.
Virginia
Health Education and Literacy (HEAL) Programexternal icon
The HEAL Program offers classes for adults with low health literacy so that they can better communicate with healthcare professionals. The program also offers training to medical staff to meet the needs of all their patients.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Health Literacyexternal icon
Wisconsin Health Literacy (WHL) is a statewide organization raising awareness of the importance of health literacy and fostering better communication between health care consumers and health care providers. WHL is a division of Wisconsin Literacy, Inc.external icon, a nonprofit coalition representing a membership of 73 community-based adult and family literacy agencies.
- CDC funded state, local, territorial and tribal programs in school health
- National Network of Libraries of Medicineexternal icon
- National Public Health Information Coalition (NPHIC) list of state health departments and public information contacts (under agency links)external icon
- ProLiteracy: State and Local Adult Literacy Offices and Programsexternal icon
- Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) state chaptersexternal icon