Health Literacy : What We Do : South Heartland District Health Department

Health Literacy

What is Health Literacy?

According to the National Institution of Health, health literacy refers to how well a person can get the health information and services that they need, and how well they understand them. It is also about using them to make good health decisions. More than 90 million adults in the United States have low health literacy. It affects their ability to make health decisions. This can harm their health. They may have trouble managing chronic diseases and leading a healthy lifestyle. They may go to the hospital more often and have poorer health overall.

South Heartland is a health literacy champion by the work we do with our community partners and clinic partners to increase the awareness of what health literacy is and provide tools to make written, spoken and visual materials more health literate.

For more information on health litericy contact South Heartland District Health Department at 402-462-6211 or 877-283-7595.

"The primary responsibility for improving health literacy lies with public health professionals and the healthcare and public health systems. We must work together to ensure that health information and services can be understood and used by all Americans. We must engage in skill building with healthcare consumers and health professionals. Adult educators can be productive partners in reaching adults with limited literacy skills " ~ health.gov., Health Literacy Fact sheet

What We Do

Community Health Improvement

The Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is developed from the Community Health Needs Assessment. Priority objectives are developed to address determined priority areas of need. Collaborative work groups (1) evaluate data and trends to (2) develop goals and strategies to (3) implement interventions.

To view South Heartland District's CHIP progress, click here.

How Healthy Are We?

Local Health Data from the South Heartland District Health Department provides health information for residents of Adams, Clay, Nuckolls, and Webster counties. Three survey reports provide information on health behaviors, chronic health conditions, and the use of preventive services. Click here for more information

Vaccination Program

The Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program helps immunize children whose parents or guardians cannot afford it. This helps ensure that all children have a better chance of receiving recommended immunizations on time. Vaccines available through the VFC Program are those recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). These vaccines protect babies, young children, and teens from 16 diseases.