Health Literacy Kentucky is a partnership of more than 35 organizations that have come together to address the issue of Health Literacy in our state. This "alliance" emerged from the Kentucky Health Literacy Summit, that was held in February of 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky.

The impact of low health literacy is well documented, with outcomes that include:

• Poorer overall health status
• Higher rates of emergency department use
• Lower utilization of preventive services
• Increased difficulty in managing chronic conditions such as diabetes and congestive heart failure
• Financial costs estimated at between $106 and $238 billion dollars annually.

Health Literacy Kentucky hopes to serve as a vehicle to:

• Encourage cross-discipline partnerships for health literacy programs across the state.
• Raise awareness of the issues related to health literacy in communities across the state.
• Provide training for healthcare professionals and healthcare systems.
• Foster the development of ongoing health literacy research in Kentucky.
• Share Kentucky-specific health literacy challenges, interventions, successes and failures.

There are many exciting opportunities that will benefit from a coordinated effort.

Current stakeholders in Health Literacy Kentucky include representatives from public health, Area Health Education Centers (AHECs), foundations, hospitals, cooperative extension, libraries, adult education, universities, literacy organizations, state government, academic medical centers, insurance companies, and more.

The challenges involved with limited Health Literacy affect us all; and it will take all of us to effectively deal with these challenges. Please add your expertise to Health Literacy Kentucky! There are many ways you can become involved. Find out more about Health Literacy Kentucky Committees and consider signing up for one or more.