HEALTH EDUCATION & LITERACY ORGANIZATION
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MISSION STATEMENT
Health Education and Literacy Organization was established for the purpose of bridging the health literacy disparity in local and national communities and furthering health education. We provide students at UF, particularly those interested in health professions, opportunities to serve our Gainesville community and beyond by improving access to health information and editing medical documents for low-literacy accessibility.
Health Education and Literacy Organization also promotes health education by advocating for initiatives that improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare for all people. These include cultural competence, literacy accessibility, and advocacy for underserved communities.
WHO ARE WE?
Health Education & Literacy Organization (HELO) is a student run organization at the University of Florida that was founded in Spring 2020 and became an official UF organization in Fall 2020.
WHAT WE DO
Educate
Work to educate future healthcare professionals and policy-makers about the importance of literacy accessibility in healthcare.
Advocate
Hold workshops and panels to discuss and advocate for better health literacy and access.
create
Make new materials and edit already made materials for low-health literacy, with an emphasis on clear communication and accessibility.
Collaborate
Collaborate with other organizations on projects to further community health.
the ability to read and understand basic health information.
HEALTH LITERACY:
QUICK FACTS
HELO bridges this gap by editing medical handouts for low-literacy populations. We also emphasize the importance of health education for pre-professionals through workshops.
OUR GOAL:
Stop low health literacy from being a barrier to good health.
At our monthly meetings, we create low literacy documents for many community and student organizations using online literacy tools. We also host workshops to educate others on health literacy.
90 million people are illiterate or read below an 8th grade level.
The American Medical Association calls low literacy a “silent epidemic”.
Health literacy level is a stronger predictor of a person’s health than their age, income, employment status, education level, and race.