Making health easier for you and me

Health literacy is important for everyone to be aware of because at one time or another, we all must find, understand, or use health information and services. Each day we take steps to care for our health, so health literacy can help us prevent health conditions or better manage them if they arise. It is more than just being able to read, though, it also encompasses understanding medical terms, interpreting statistics or evaluating risk, understanding complicated care regimens, and more. Organizations who provide health information play a role in health literacy as they try to enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services for health-related decisions. Limited health literacy negatively impacts the financial resources in our health systems and contributes to higher than necessary illness and death.  ​