Institute for Healthcare Advancement's Tenth Annual Health Literacy Conference Set for May 4-6, 2011

LA HABRA, Calif., Jan. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA), a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) public charity and a national leader in health literacy education and services, will host its 10th Annual Health Literacy Conference on May 4-6, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Irvine, Calif.

The three-day professional, continuing-education conference, "Health Literacy = Effective Communication: Translating Ideas Into Practice," will feature presentations by leading authorities who will describe how to present information to patients in a way they can understand. For registration information, visit www.iha4health.org and click on Health Literacy Conference, or call (800) 434-4633.

A live, nationwide, social media discussion of the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy is scheduled for Wednesday, May 4. The first 90 minutes can be accessed online by anyone who wishes to follow the discussion of what various groups are doing to meet the National Action Plan. The next 90 minutes, for attendees only, features a hands-on training session where they can draft an Action Plan for their own organization.

Plenary speakers for the 2011 conference include:

• Dean Schillinger, M.D., on 10 years in health literacy
• Toni Cordell on perspectives from a low literacy patient
• Clifford Coleman, M.D., on teaching health literacy to healthcare professionals
• Lee Rainie, MS on the rise of the e-patient
• Geri-Ann Galanti, Ph.D., on communicating across cultures
• Angela Fagerlin, Ph.D., on communicating concepts of numeracy

The conference will also provide a wide selection of breakout sessions, including workshops on creating health literacy podcasts, writing winning health literacy grants, and writing for low literacy patients.

Low health literacy is a problem that plagues one in three American adults who have basic or below basic health literacy skills. This is defined as the ability to properly read, understand, and act on health information, including how to take medicine, prepare for a medical test, sign up for health insurance, and care for a chronic illness.

The Institute for Healthcare Advancement is nationally recognized for its efforts in health literacy and provides healthcare information through its various publishing efforts, the Internet, and its renowned education programs. The organization is headquartered at 501 S. Idaho St., La Habra, CA 90631; 1-800-434-4633. For more information, go to the IHA website at www.iha4health.org.

SOURCE Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA)