LEXINGTON, KY (2/22/12) – Christina Cordero, PhD, will deliver a keynote address at the third annual Health Literacy Kentucky Summit, set for Lexington’s Marriott Griffin Gate hotel March 22-23. Her talk is entitled “What did the doctor say? Advancing health literacy through Joint Commission Standards and Initiatives.”
 
Dr. Cordero is an Associate Project Director in the Department of Standards and Survey Methods, Division of Healthcare Quality Evaluation at The Joint Commission.
 
“Health literacy” can be defined as the ability to read, understand and use healthcare information to make decisions and follow instructions about treatment of one’s personal health. Some estimates find fewer than half of all Americans to be health literate. Health Literacy Kentucky is a partnership of more than 35 organizations dedicated to improving Kentucky’s health through improved health literacy.
 
All health care providers and support staff, as well as the general public, are invited to the Health Literacy Kentucky Summit, billed as the best annual opportunity in Kentucky to advance awareness, knowledge and skills related to communication about health care. This year’s theme for the event is “Building your health literacy toolkit.” Numerous discussions, interactive workshops and skill-building sessions are slated to help improve patient communication on all levels.
 
To register, go to http://www.cecentral.com/live/3748. Questions or other requests may be directed to Jane Bryant at 859-323-5715 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 
Summit keynote speakers include Cindy Brach, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Audrey Riffenburgh, Plain Language Works, LLC; Al Cross, Institute for Rural Journalism; and Bruce Rector, Monday Morning Message. Interactive workshops will provide a health literacy toolkit of skills and resources, and cover such topics as Health Literacy 101, Plain Language Basics, Usability Testing, TeachBack, Social Media and Electronic Health Records. Contributed papers and posters will highlight local/regional health literacy research and activities.
 
Dr. Cordero’s current work focuses on standards-development projects for hospital and laboratory accreditation programs. She has helped develop patient-centered communication standards and The Joint Commission monograph “Advancing effective communication, cultural competence, and patient- and family-centered care: A roadmap for hospitals.” The Joint Commission, (formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) is a U.S.-based not-for-profit organization that accredits more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. A majority of state governments recognize Joint Commission accreditation as a condition of licensure and the receipt of Medicaid reimbursement. Dr. Cordero earned both her Doctor of Philosophy in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis, and her Master of Public Health degrees from Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
 
The third annual Health Literacy Kentucky Summit is sponsored by: Humana, UK Health Care and Western Kentucky University
 
SurfKY News
Information provided by Jan Winter

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