Advancing Health Literacy for Health Equity and Organizational Wellness
By Michael Everett, MHS, EdD | October 31, 2024
At its core, health literacy has a simple yet powerful goal: ensuring people can comprehend information about their health, which empowers them to identify risk and protective factors.
However, in today's fast-paced society, dominated by automation and rapid consumption of information, we often overlook the opportunity to truly empower individuals. Health literacy goes beyond merely sharing facts—it’s about giving people the tools to actively manage their health and promote well-being in their communities.
My passion for health literacy began with my dissertation work, where I explored how understanding health literacy can make us better health advocates. Within my role as Chief People and Culture Officer at ETR, health literacy is now a developing focus within our organization as we work toward becoming more thoughtful and inclusive in how we implement health literacy strategies.
As part of our larger organizational transformation, we’re not only refining our external science-based work but also reflecting on how health literacy applies internally to our staff’s wellness and growth.
Health Literacy and the Journey of Organizational Transformation
The goal of health literacy is to position individuals to understand and act on health information. Whether it's making proactive changes or promoting accurate information among at-risk populations, health literacy is key to fostering better health outcomes.
Our organization has a bold vision we’re working to achieve—a world where all individuals and communities achieve their best health. ETR’s commitment to health equity drives us to integrate health literacy into every aspect of our work, ensuring that people receive the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions.
We uphold health literacy within our external work by producing pamphlets or designing health-related eLearning. In these instances, we focus on accessibility and ensure that the content is tailored to diverse learning styles.
However, internally, our approach to health literacy involves organizational transformation. This act is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. Undertaking a transformational journey means we remain intentional in our approach, track changes, and ensure they are purposeful.
We emphasize:
- Equity: Ensuring everyone receives the support they need to do their best work.
- Wellness: Prioritizing health and strategically implementing healthy practices.
- Mission-Centered Focus: Anchoring our efforts in shared goals and continuously evaluating progress.
ETR’s Focus on Health Literacy and Equity
Advancing health equity throughout the organization involves the utilization of pathways and opportunities for all staff to have access to tools that will help maximize their health.
In 2023, we took a new approach to promoting health literacy within our organization, particularly in the context of open enrollment and benefits education. Our aim was to advance health literacy by making benefits information accessible, easily understood, and relevant.
This initiative provided an opportunity to engage with staff, understand their needs, and simplify the process of navigating health benefits.
Some key initiatives included:
- Health Benefits Education Week: A professional development series focused on advancing employee health and wellness awareness.
- Simplifying Choices: Offering a limited selection of health plans to reduce information overload and improve comprehension.
- Non-Stop Vendor Integration: Allowing staff to charge medical expenses with reduced out-of-pocket costs.
- Data-Driven Approaches: Using organizational data to better understand and meet the evolving needs of our workforce.
These efforts have helped us foster a more health-literate and empowered workforce, leaving us enthusiastic for what we can implement next. For example, our forthcoming wellness policy will emphasize the benefits of health practices at work and encourage staff to prioritize rest and recovery.
The Path Forward
As we continue our journey of transformation, we are excited to expand our focus on health literacy, both internally and externally. At ETR, we believe that a healthy community begins with informed individuals.
By providing the tools and knowledge necessary to navigate health information, we are not only supporting our staff but also fostering health equity across the communities we serve.
In this evolving landscape, our commitment remains clear: to empower people through health literacy, so they can achieve their best health.
Michael Everett (He/Him, They/Them) is the Chief of People & Culture at ETR. A proud father, Michael holds a master’s in human services and a doctorate in education. Dr. Everett is currently invested in successfully supporting an agency culture that promotes wellness/wholeness, facilitates empowerment, and allows our staff to leave our organization better than they came in, in all the ways that we professionally can.
