Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast

Liz Seegert is an award-winning, independent journalist. Liz has written about health for more than 30 years. Her main beats include aging, women’s health, social determinants of health, and health policy. Liz’s articles have appeared in dozens of national and local media outlets including Scientific American, TIME, The American Journal of Nursing, and Web MD/Medscape. Liz is the contributing editor on aging and health equity for the Association of Healthcare Journalists (AHCJ). She also co-directs two fellowship programs–mentoring and training emerging journalists in aging and in health reporting.

Listen as Liz Seegert talks with Helen Osborne about:

• Narrative Journalism. What it is and how narrative journalism uses real-life stories to make points clear and compelling.
• Ways to include elements of narrative journalism in messages about health, public health, and health advocacy.
• Recommendations from a journalist. These include tips for working with sources who let you share their stories. And examples of ways to respond when editors, lawyers, and others comment on your writing.

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Today’s two guests are leaders of the new United States Health Literacy Association (USHLA).

• Karen Komondor, RN, BSN, CCRN, is the co-founder and president of USHLA. Recognized for her ongoing leadership and expertise in health literacy, Karen’s passion for this topic comes from knowing why, both personally and professionally, understandable health communication matters so much. Karen is Founder and President of Health Literacy 360, LLC, a consulting and training firm that focuses on enhancing healthcare communication practices. In all her work, Karen builds on collaboration to expand the boundaries of health literacy.
• Monique Hill, MSW, is the Secretary of USHLA. She also is the Founder and Lead Consultant of HELP Solutions, a health equity consulting firm launched in 2022. Prior to this, Monique served as an Associate Professor and Health Literacy and Partnership Engagement Advisor for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Region 2. Monique’s ongoing mission is to ensure that every community has the tools, understanding, and support to take charge of their health.

Helen Osborne talks with Karen Komondor and Monique Hill about:

• United States Health Literacy Association (USHLA) is a national, grassroots, non-profit organization. Its focus is to be “policy-powered” and “advocacy-driven.”
• USHLA is designed as a dynamic forum where individuals and organizations can connect, collaborate, take action, and share resources to advance health literacy. It is about building synergy, rather than remaining in silos.
• Opportunities and encouragement to get involved with USHLA.

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Helen is taking a break to recover from back surgery, so we’re re-running some classic episodes. Here’s one from 2024.

Rear Admiral (RDML) Paul Reed, MD is the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, the Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, a pediatrician, and a senior U.S. Public Health Service Officer. His primary responsibility is to advise the Assistant Secretary for Health on disease prevention and health promotion programs and policies. Additionally, RDML Reed provides direction and oversight for national health initiatives such as Healthy People 2030, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition.

In this podcast, RDML Paul Reed talks with Helen Osborne about:

• Finding health in context of people’s lives including in the environments where they live, work, play, grow, and age.
• Reframing health in terms of vital conditions for well-being and justice.
• Building resilience within communities and encouraging citizens to flex their “civic muscles” so as to help everyone reach their full potential.

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Helen is taking a break to recover from back surgery, so we’re re-running some classic episodes. Here’s one from 2019.

Bridget Gaglio PhD, MPH is a Senior Program Officer for the Clinical Effectiveness and Decision Science program at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). She works to improve communication and dissemination of evidence-based information among patients and their healthcare providers. Gaglio has published papers on patient-centered communication, health literacy, and dissemination and implementation of health interventions. But this podcast isn’t about that. Rather, it’s about experiences and lessons Bridget and Helen each learned as patients.

In this podcast, Helen Osborne talks with Bridget Gaglio about:

• Becoming a patient can happen in a moment, whether from an accident or unexpected diagnosis. Some reasons that communication can be very hard, even for patients who are good readers and savvy about health.
• Why to create your own medical binder and what to include. How such binders (on paper, electronic, or both) can help patients feel empowered and more in control.
• Tips, suggestions, and lessons learned for patients and providers, alike.

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