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Marginal Literacy, A Growing Issue in Health Care Literacy By Janet Ohene-Frempong, M.S. Patients are often confused. Health care But there’s also good news: Reading scores for blacks and concepts. They may be unclear about what to do and providers often don’t know it. have gone up in the 10 years since the last national why to do it. They read well. But, they are just not familiar Many people are not aware of the problem of marginal survey was conducted. So the gap is closing. with complex health care issues and systems. They have literacy, which means being able to read, but not with low health literacy. real skill. Individuals fall into poor health for many reasons. Shame can get in the way of good There also are many reasons why people fail to follow health care. Steps can be taken to address the issue. through on what their health care providers ask them to People go out of their way to hide from their doctors that they Marginal health literacy is a serious problem. Steps can do. One main reason for both of these issues can be linked can’t read well. This is true no matter what a person’s age or be taken to correct it: to reading skills. More people than we think do not read race. Researchers have shown that “because of the shame that Expand awareness across the nation about this issue. they hold, some patients may be intimidated and less likely to well. In recent years, researchers have shown that reading Create policies to provide health care information ask questions or admit they do not understand.” skills make a difference when it comes to staying healthy. that is easy to read, follow, understand and relate to. This has been proven in a number of health conditions. Support health care providers in communicating Diabetes is one. Asthma is another. Confusion and shame should not be mistaken for lack of interest. more clearly. The issue affects Americans of all races. Sometimes patients don’t do what they agree to do. And Support efforts to improve the literacy skills of both In 2003, the U.S. Department of Education released the some health care providers assume this is because patients children and adults. results of its National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). don’t care. But, many such people do care. They simply Push for more research and funding to find and The NAAL measured reading and math skills of thousands struggle in silence. So, casting blame is not helpful. Providers apply more solutions. of adults in the U.S. The results showed that 43 percent of can begin to look more closely for signs of confusion. The more we do together to address this issue, the adults in the U.S. are performing at the two lowest levels healthier a society we will become. It just takes a little of literacy. This figure includes people of all races and ages, Staying healthy can be hard. It often calls dose of understanding. white and black, young and old. Many adults in the U.S. for strong reading skills. are not at ease dealing with words and numbers in print. People have to do many things to manage their health. Janet Ohene-Frempong, president of J O Frempong & They need to fill out forms to get care. They need to read Associates, is a plain language and cross-cultural complex instructions before tests can be done. They need to communications consultant with over 25 years of experience But this is a special issue for in patient/provider communications. African Americans. take the correct amount of medication at the correct time. The NAAL also looked at reading skills by race and Yet, many instructions and forms are written for very strong References McCall, C. (1989). A Historical Quest for Literacy. Interracial Books ethnic group. It showed that an even greater percentage readers. This makes it hard for the thousands of people who for Children, 19 (3-4): 3-6. of African Americans — 67 percent — were performing are not strong readers to manage their health care. at the two lowest levels of literacy. Now, this is not Baker, D. W.; Parker, R. M.; William, M. V.; Pitkin, K.; Parikh, N. S.; Coates, W.; and Imaru, M. (1996). The Health Care Experience of Patients with “I had some papers, something that African Americans want to hear. Who When people don’t read with ease, Low Literacy. Archives of Family Medicine, 5: 329-334. wants to be labeled as not being able to do well in skills the health results can be serious. but I didn’t know they such as reading or math? To understand this, we need to People who do not have strong reading skills are more Doak, C. C.; Doak, L. G.; and Root, J. H. (1996) Teaching Patients with Low Literacy Skills. Second Edition. Philadelphia, PA: JB Lippincott Company. take a look back in time. likely to end up in the hospital. They are more likely to need treatment for illnesses that could have been Williams, M. V.; Baker, D. W.; Parker, R. M.; and Nurss, J. R. (1998). were prescriptions, For African Americans, prevented. They also are more likely to die sooner Relationship of functional health literacy to patients’ knowledge of their and I walked around history may tell us why. because of their health problems. chronic disease. A study of patients with hypertension and diabetes. Archives of Internal Medicine, 158 (2): 166-72. If reading skills have been a concern, this should come as for a week without no surprise. According to Cecelia McCall, a noted professor Even people with strong reading skills Web references A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century, of English, African Americans are “the only Americans who often need special attention. NCES Number: 2006470 Release Date: December 15, 2005. my medications.” were deliberately, legally and systematically prevented from A person can have strong general literacy skills and still having access to the book.” They are “the only Americans have low health literacy skills. Why? Because even people The Health Literacy of America’s Adults: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, NCES Number: 2006483 From an article titled “The Health Care Experience who had to litigate for what other Americans took for with strong literacy skills can find health information Release Date: September 6, 2006. of Patients With Low Literacy” granted — decent schools.” In fact, she reminds us that confusing. Providers should not assume that people who By David Baker, Ruth Parker, Mark Williams during slavery, many African Americans risked punishment are good readers also are clear about how to manage their and others Published in the Archives of Family Medicine, 1996 and even death by learning to read. health care. People often are confused by medical words

Health information that is hard to This is why health literacy advocates across the country Educators such as Kari Trotter Wall, Pharm.D.; and understand is everywhere. It touches are trying to make easy-to-understand information Sharon L. Youmans, Pharm.D., M.P.H.; are making a us at pharmacies, in doctors’ and dentists’ available to everyone. At Aetna, we believe that people difference. These leaders teach hundreds of pharmacists offi ces, and at health centers and hospitals. of all literacy levels can take control of their health when each year how to be more sensitive to cultural differences. It even affects us in the home. communications are clear and simple. Nathan Fletcher and Alison Riddle-Fletcher, a husband-wife More than 90 million Americans are known to be dealing team of dentists, have come up with unique ways to raise It takes more than patience, persistence and with low health literacy. Many more are unknown. Like their patients’ dental IQs. They give their patients photos common sense to break down this information. obesity, it impacts people of all racial and ethnic back- of an egg timer set to the right brushing time. It takes the guidance and support of health grounds. However, low health literacy is more prevalent Health literacy now is being addressed in unique settings care professionals devoted not only to among elderly African Americans and Latinos. such as churches, libraries and even barbershops. People providing health care, but also to making This year, Aetna focuses its 27th African American History gather in these places to share information. Together, people understand their health. Calendar on health literacy. Low health literacy is a growing they become smarter health consumers. barrier to good health care. To do its part, Aetna is committed Raising health literacy does require a village. The more we to making consumer information easier to understand. know about it, the more we can do. The more we do, The problem of health literacy is becoming more well the more healthful the results. known. African American communities across America are focusing on it in many ways. There is more health education in communities, and health leaders are rethinking the words they say and write. African American History Calendar January 2008 www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com

In the Home Knowledge is power. … I didn’t know I was sick, Derek E. Faison Jo Ann Pegues “ Former President and CEO Project Manager but I do now; and I’m a man on a mission. Faison Office Products Company Focus on Diabetes Program ” — Derek E. Faison Denver, Colorado The Center for African American Health Denver, Colorado

When Derek Faison learned he had diabetes, he had diabetes. Nurses checked his blood sugar level; The program’s teachers use various methods to ensure Both Faison and his wife attended the program’s hands- he was shocked and confused. it was 374 (100 is normal). people of all health literacy levels understand the infor- on healthful cooking classes, which include label-reading mation. Participants receive a list of suggested questions demonstrations and portion-size models. Students also “I knew my father had it, and that it was related to Faison’s doctor explained that diabetes can be managed to ask their doctors. They meet with a pharmacist to learn learn about the Idaho Plate Method, used for diabetes blood sugar and some kind of imbalance,” says Faison. and even reversed when patients choose to take the right how their medications work and watch demonstrations meal planning, and are asked to draw on a paper plate “When I learned what my blood sugar was, my health steps. So he enrolled in The Center for African by a dental hygienist on proper oral health. Nurses show a meal that reflects this method. immediate question was, ‘What should it be?’ I’m a American Health’s six-week Diabetes Self-Management them how to examine their feet with mirrors and provide well-educated man, but I was uninformed.” class series, part of its Focus on Diabetes program. Now almost 20 pounds lighter, Faison has regulated his pictures of the body’s system of blood vessels, so they blood sugar levels. He is on the lowest dosage of diabetes Before discovering he had diabetes, Faison experienced “We increase people’s health literacy by giving them understand how diabetes is linked to the body. medication, and his vision has improved. multiple symptoms: trouble thinking clearly; frequent knowledge and understanding of diabetes and health in “At the center, they explained, ‘If diabetes affects thirst; and blurred vision, which led to a car accident. general — what different terms mean, what questions At the center and in his community work, he shares his your blood, it goes everywhere your blood goes in the Soon after the accident, he began wearing reading they should ask their doctors and how to ask them,” says story as often as he can. body,’” says Faison. glasses for the first time. Jo Ann Pegues, the Focus on Diabetes project manager “Knowledge is power,” says Faison. “If people know and a dietitian at the center, located in Denver, Colorado. He also learned that walking 10,000 steps a day could “I had so many symptoms, but I just wasn’t connecting they have a disease, they can do something about it. help him manage his blood glucose, and that fruits and the dots,” said Faison. “Seventy-five percent of patients say that when they were I didn’t know I was sick, but I do now; and I’m a man first diagnosed, they were only told their sugar levels were vegetables should comprise 75 percent of his meals. Faison on a mission.” In February 2007, while at The Center for African high; and they needed to watch what they ate and take began walking or bicycling three to five miles per day and American Health’s annual health fair, Faison learned medication,“ adds Pegues. tracked his steps with a pedometer provided by the center.

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1 2 3 4 5 New Year’s Day 1965: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 1624: William Tucker, first 1920: Andrew “Rube” Foster organizes 1943: George Washington Carver, 1863: Abraham Lincoln issues calls for nonviolent protests if Alabama African child born in America. first black baseball league, the agricultural scientist, dies. Emancipation Proclamation. blacks are not allowed to register Negro National League. 2005: Former U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm, and vote. 1971: The Congressional Black first black woman elected to Caucus organized. Congress, dies.

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1831: The World Anti-Slavery Convention 1890: William B. Purvis patents fountain pen. 1811: Charles Deslondes leads 1866: Fisk University founded in 1864: George Washington Carver, 1940: Benjamin O. Davis Sr. becomes 1948: Supreme Court rules opens in London. 1955: Marian Anderson debuts as first slave revolt in Louisiana. Nashville, Tennessee. agricultural scientist and inventor, born. U.S. Army’s first black general. blacks have right to study law at black to perform at Metropolitan Opera. state institutions.

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 1990: L. Douglas Wilder inaugurated 1975: William T. Coleman named 1929: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1978: NASA names African American 1942: Three-time heavyweight 1856: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, 1918: John H. Johnson, editor as first African American governor secretary of transportation. a major voice for civil rights in the astronauts Maj. Frederick D. Gregory, boxing champion Muhammad Ali pioneer heart surgeon, born. and publisher of Ebony and Jet (Virginia) since Reconstruction. 20th century, born. Maj. Guion S. Bluford Jr. and (Cassius Clay) born. magazines, born. Dr. Ronald E. McNair.

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 1993: Maya Angelou, a great voice of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1949: James Robert Gladden becomes 1891: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams founds 1865: Congress passes 13th Amendment, 1851: Sojourner Truth addresses 1954: Dr. Theodore K. Lawless, contemporary literature, delivers Birthday Observed first black certified in orthopedic surgery. Provident Hospital in Chicago, the first which, on ratification, abolishes slavery. first Black Women’s Rights Convention, dermatologist, awarded the Spingarn On the Pulse of Morning at the 1870: Hiram Revels elected first black training hospital for black doctors and Akron, Ohio. Medal for research in skin-related diseases. presidential inauguration. U.S. senator, replacing Jefferson Davis for nurses in the U.S. 2001: Colin Powell sworn in as first black the Mississippi seat. secretary of state.

27 28 29 30 31 1961: Leontyne Price, world-renowned 1998: Sarah “Madam C.J.” Walker, 1926: Violette Neatly Anderson becomes 1844: Richard Theodore Greener, 1919: Jackie Robinson, first black to Fact Number 1 opera singer, makes her Metropolitan first black female millionaire, honored on first black woman lawyer to argue a case first black to graduate from Harvard, born. play in major league baseball, born. Opera debut. U.S. postage stamp. before the Supreme Court. 2006: Coretta Scott King, widow of Nearly half of all American adults — 90 million 1954: Oprah Winfrey, first African American Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who woman television host, born. enshrined his legacy of human rights people — have difficulty understanding and acting and equality, dies. upon health information. African American History Calendar February 2008 www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com Black History Month

In the Pharmacy “ Most patients hear what their doctors tell them. But they Kari Trotter Wall, Pharm.D. don’t have enough time to process it and ask questions. Pharmacy Director As a pharmacist, I can have that conversation with them. University of Southern California Pharmacy ” Los Angeles, California — Dr. Kari Trotter Wall

A simple brown bag may hold one answer Trotter Wall works at the retail pharmacy on the surrounding community. The pharmacy also has a clinic Trotter Wall wants to help her patients become to better health literacy, according to University of Southern California campus. She also is where screenings are done for health risks such as proactive instead of reactive when it comes to their pharmacist Dr. Kari Trotter Wall. the university’s director of pharmacy. This gives her the diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension. health. “People do a lot of research when they’re unique opportunity to help patients and teach pharmacy buying something material. When they buy cars, they “To help my patients really understand their treatments, “A lot of residents in the area do not have easy access students in a retail setting. look at magazines, ask for opinions and test drive them. I invite them to put all of the medications they are to health care. They also tend to self-diagnose. People confused about in a brown bag. They bring them in; “Being a pharmacist is a lot like being a teacher. People fall into doing what someone they know did to treat an “But the minute their doctor gives them a disease and I sit with them and explain what each one is used need to be educated in order to make better decisions illness. If we are able to help patients understand their diagnosis, they accept it and move on. They don’t do for, and how to take each correctly. I then have them about any topic,” she says. “Most patients hear what conditions and medications, they are more likely to stick the research needed to understand the disease,” she repeat the instructions back to me to show me they their doctors tell them. But they don’t have enough time with their treatments,” she says. says. “My hope is that my patients will become understand,” says Trotter Wall. to process it and ask questions. As a pharmacist, I can An important issue Trotter Wall talks about with her advocates for their own health by learning about have that conversation with them.” their diseases and their medications, and treating their “Many times we are able to cut down on the amount patients is how specific medications work. “I explain in health like their most valuable possession.” of medications they are taking due to duplicate therapy. Trotter Wall and her pharmacy students spend a lot detail what the medicine will do for their diseases,” she It also opens up the door to other questions they may of time educating patients; who are university says. “I tell them that there are no wonder drugs — the have about their diseases,” she says. students, faculty and staff, and residents of the medicine may not make your illness go away, but this is how it will help you.”

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Fact Number 2 1 2 1902: Langston Hughes, poet, born. 1915: Biologist Ernest E. Just receives Spingarn Medal for research in Forty-two percent of U.S. adults don’t understand fertilization and cell division. instructions to take medication on an empty stomach.

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1956: Autherine Lucy enrolls as the first 1913: Rosa Parks, civil rights pioneer 1884: Willis Johnson patents eggbeater. Ash Wednesday 1883: Ragtime pianist and composer 1968: Three South Carolina State 1964: Arthur Ashe Jr. becomes first black student at the University of Alabama. who sparked 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, 1934: Hank Aaron, major league home-run 1993: Arthur Ashe Jr., tennis player, Eubie Blake born. students killed during segregation protest black on U.S. Davis Cup team. bus boycott, born. champion, born. humanitarian and activist, dies. in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 1927: Leontyne Price, internationally 1990: Nelson Mandela of South Africa Lincoln’s Birthday 1970: Joseph L. Searles becomes Valentine’s Day 1820: Susan B. Anthony, abolitionist 1874: Frederick Douglass elected acclaimed opera singer, born. is released from prison after 27 years. 1909: NAACP founded in New York City. first African American member of 1817: Frederick Douglass, and women’s rights advocate, born. president of Freedman’s Bank and Trust. 1992: Alex Haley, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Stock Exchange. “the Great Emancipator,” born. author, dies.

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 1938: Mary Frances Berry, first woman Presidents’ Day 2002: Vonetta Flowers becomes 1895: Frederick Douglass, leading voice 1965: Malcolm X assassinated Washington’s Birthday 1868: W.E.B. DuBois, scholar, activist and to serve as chancellor of a major research 1931: Toni Morrison, winner of 1988 Winter Olympics’ first African American in the abolitionist movement, dies. in New York. 1989: Col. Frederick D. Gregory becomes author of The Souls of Black Folk, born. university (University of Colorado), born. Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved, born. gold medalist. first African American to command a space shuttle mission.

24 25 26 27 28 29 1864: Rebecca Lee Crumpler becomes first 1853: First black YMCA organized 1965: Civil rights activist 1897: Marian Anderson, world-renowned 1984: Michael Jackson, musician and 1940: Actress Hattie McDaniel becomes black woman to receive a medical degree in Washington, D.C. Jimmie Lee Jackson dies after being opera singer and civil rights activist, born. entertainer, wins eight Grammy Awards. first black to win an Oscar for her role in (New England Female Medical College). shot by state police in Marion, Alabama. the movie Gone WIth the Wind. African American History Calendar March 2008 www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com

In the Doctor’s Office “ When people feel they can get information easily — Carolyn Barley Britton, M.D., M.S. and have the right to it — it is easier for them to President-Elect, National Medical Association work with doctors. Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology ” Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons — Dr. Carolyn Barley Britton New York, New York

It was a patient Dr. Carolyn Barley Britton “Sometimes, we [doctors] talk to patients, but we don’t three questions they should always ask their doctors: In her own practice, Britton spends time with new treated early in her career who taught her to really see if we are being understood,” Britton says. What is my main problem? What do I need to do? patients to make them comfortable and to learn how be a better listener. “Low health literacy is the number one factor in poor Why is it important for me to do this? they speak and use body language. She asks patients to health and increases your chances of going to the visit her office rather than call. Seeing them helps her Britton, an associate professor of clinical neurology at The campaign also includes training programs for doctors. hospital. People who understand their health needs are know when something is wrong and builds a relationship. Columbia University in New York City, had reviewed a Britton and other NMA doctors are currently revisiting the more helpful partners with their doctors in making medicine card and instructions with the patient. But a NMA’s cultural competency guide, which will be updated “Many people are afraid of the medical community sure they have good health results.” few days later, he returned to the hospital. He wasn’t in the next two years. All NMA doctors receive the guide. because they don’t understand it or can’t control it,” feeling well. He didn’t know what to do. Britton is president-elect of the National Medical “Many doctors confuse cultural sensitivity with cultural says Britton. “When people feel they can get Association (NMA). She also was the main researcher information easily — and have the right to it — “I asked him if he took his medicine. He said he competency,” says Britton. “Sensitivity is knowing about for NMA’s “Doctor Speak, Doctor Listen” health literacy it is easier for them to work with doctors.” took all the pills on his card,” Britton says. “I realized different cultures. Cultural competency is being able to campaign. The campaign includes community programs, he really didn’t understand what I had told him. He use that knowledge to speak and better connect with such as Ask Me 3, which is offered with the Partnership had just nodded his head in agreement. He wanted to patients. Doctors need basic education tools to help for Clear Health Communication. It teaches people the please me.” them communicate in ways that help patients understand how to manage their health.”

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Fact Number 3 1 1914: Ralph W. Ellison, author and educator, born. Up to 80 percent of patients forget what their doctor tells them as soon as they leave the doctor’s office — and nearly 50 percent of what they do remember is recalled incorrectly.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1867: Congress enacts charter to 1865: Freedmen’s Bureau established 1965: Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics 1770: Crispus Attucks becomes one of the 1857: Supreme Court issues 1965: Supreme Court upholds key 1977: Henry L. Marsh III becomes first establish Howard University. by federal government to aid newly honored as NBA’s most valuable player first casualties of the American Revolution. Dred Scott decision. provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. African American elected mayor of 2006: Prominent blues bass guitarist freed slaves. for fourth time in five years. 1965: Photographer-filmmaker Gordon Richmond, Virginia. Willie Kent dies. Parks, who captured the struggles and triumphs of black America, dies.

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Daylight Saving Time Begins 1869: Robert Tanner Freeman becomes 1959: Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in 1932: Andrew Young, former U.N. 1773: Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable, black 1956: Montgomery, Alabama, bus 1947: John Lee, first black 1841: Amistad mutineers freed by first black to receive a degree in dentistry. the Sun opens at Barrymore Theater, ambassador and former mayor of pioneer and explorer, founded Chicago. boycott ends when municipal bus commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, Supreme Court. 1913: Harriet Tubman, abolitionist and New York; the first play by a black woman Atlanta, born. service is desegregated. assigned to duty. Civil War nurse, dies. to premiere on Broadway.

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Palm Sunday St. Patrick’s Day 1822: The Phoenix Society, a literary 1971: The Rev. Leon Sullivan elected to 1883: Jan E. Matzeliger patents Good Friday 1898: J.W. Smith patents lawn sprinkler. 1827: Freedom’s Journal, the first 1885: William F. Cosgrove patents and educational group, founded by board of directors of General Motors. shoemaking machine. 1965: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. U.S. black newspaper, is founded. automatic stop plug for gas and oil pipes. blacks in New York City. leads march from Selma to 1846: Rebecca Cole, second black female 1890: Charles B. Brooks patents Montgomery, Alabama, for voting rights. physician in the U.S., born. street sweeper.

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Easter 30 1907: Nurse and aviator 31 1931: Ida B. Wells-Barnett, journalist, 1872: Thomas J. Martin patents 1924: Jazz singer Sarah Vaughan, 1870: Jonathan S. Wright becomes first 1918: Pearl Bailey, singer and actor, born. 1873: Slavery 1870: Fifteenth Janet Harmon Bragg 1988: anti-lynching activist and founding fire extinguisher. “The Divine One,” born. black state supreme court justice in abolished in Amendment ratified, born. Toni Morrison member of the NAACP, dies. South Carolina. Puerto Rico. guaranteeing voting wins Pulitzer Prize rights to blacks. for Beloved. African American History Calendar April 2008 www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com

In the School “ Until [pharmacy students practice their communication skills], Sharon L. Youmans, Pharm.D., M.P.H. they can’t fully understand how important it is to break down Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacy the medical jargon when working with patients. Vice-Chair for Educational Affairs, Department of Clinical Pharmacy ” University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Pharmacy — Dr. Sharon L. Youmans San Francisco, California

Even Dr. Sharon Youmans sometimes has An important part of Youmans’ lesson plan is role playing. These important lessons get students ready to take part “Being able to take medication the right way is key,” trouble understanding medical text. One student plays the pharmacist and one plays the in the school’s Medicare Part D outreach program. says Youmans. “Many people think that just because patient. She tells students to listen without judgment. This is where students work one-on-one with seniors to they’re taking the pills, they’re doing the right thing. “I read some things and think, ‘I don’t get this,’ and She has them encourage the “patients” to ask questions. choose the most cost-effective prescription drug plan. But if they’re not taking them properly, it can mean I consider myself well educated,” says Youmans, an the difference between a treatment working or not associate professor of clinical pharmacy at the University Youmans recalls one role-play session in which she asked “It’s a great opportunity for students to practice their working, or between having side effects or not. of California, San Francisco. “I can’t imagine how it is the “pharmacists” to create a medication reminder communication skills,” says Youmans. “Until they do that, for someone with low health literacy.” calendar for their “patients.” One student became they can’t fully understand how important it is to break “This is why it’s so important that we continue to develop upset because he didn’t know where to begin. Youmans down the medical jargon when working with patients.” training for pharmacists to improve their communication Through research, Youmans is trying to better understand suggested he ask the “patient” what she wanted. with patients. We can have the best technology and the what pharmacists must do to help patients with low When she’s not in the classroom, Youmans is working best medication. The information required for people to health literacy take medicines correctly. She passes this “Pharmacists often have action plans for patients. But we on studies that look at how pharmacists can improve take medications properly must be given in a way that knowledge on to her students. She teaches them that need to ask them ‘What works for you?’” says Youmans. patient relationships and communication. patients understand it best. Anything less is unacceptable.” the answer lies in open communication — both spoken “Otherwise, the patient may just say he or she understands. and written — and cultural understanding. But in reality, he or she may be unable to carry out the correct instructions or suggestions at home.”

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1 2 3 4 5 1950: Blood research pioneer 1984: Georgetown coach John Thompson 1826: Poet-orator James Madison Bell, 1968: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 1951: Washington, D.C., Municipal Charles R. Drew dies. becomes first African American coach to author of the Emancipation Day poem assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Court of Appeals outlaws segregation 1989: Bill White elected president win the NCAA basketball tournament. “The Day and the War,” born. 2007: Eddie Robinson, the winningest in restaurants. of the National Baseball League. 1990: Sarah Vaughan, jazz singer known coach in college football, dies. as “The Divine One,” dies.

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1909: Matthew A. Henson reaches North 1915: Jazz and blues legend 1974: Atlanta Braves slugger 1898: Paul Robeson, actor, singer, 1943: Arthur Ashe, first black to win the 1899: Percy Julian, developer of 1983: Harold Washington becomes Pole, 45 minutes before Robert E. Peary. Billie Holiday born. Hank Aaron hits 715th career home run, activist, born. U.S. Open and men’s singles title physostigmine and synthetic cortisone, born. first African American elected mayor 1959: Lorraine Hansberry becomes surpassing Babe Ruth as the game’s at Wimbledon, born. 1966: Emmett Ashford becomes first black of Chicago. first black playwright to win New York all-time home-run leader. 1947: Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson umpire in the major leagues. Drama Critics Award (for A Raisin becomes first black to play major in the Sun). league baseball.

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 1950: Historian Carter G. Woodson, author 1775: First abolitionist society in U.S. 1964: Sidney Poitier becomes first black 1862: Slavery abolished in the 1983: Alice Walker wins Pulitzer Prize 1995: Margo Jefferson receives Passover Begins (sundown) of The Miseducation of the Negro, dies. founded in Philadelphia. to win Academy Award for Best Actor District of Columbia. for fiction for The Color Purple. Pulitzer Prize for criticism. 1972: Stationed in Germany, Major Gen. 1997: Tiger Woods wins Masters for Lilies of the Field. 1990: Ralph David Abernathy, Frederic E. Davidson becomes first African Golf Tournament. civil rights leader, dies. American to lead an Army division.

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 1894: Dr. Lloyd A. Hall, pioneering 1966: Pfc. Milton L. Olive III awarded 1922: Jazz bassist and composer Administrative Professionals Day 1944: United Negro College 1918: Ella Fitzgerald, 1888: Sarah Boone patents food chemist, born. posthumously the Medal of Honor for valor Charles Mingus born. 1856: Granville T. Woods, inventor Fund incorporated. “First Lady of Song,” born. ironing board. in Vietnam. of the steam boiler and automobile air brakes, born. 1872: Charlotte E. Ray is first black woman admitted to the District of Columbia Bar.

27 28 29 30 Fact Number 4 1945: August Wilson, Pulitzer Prize-winning 1839: Cinque leads Amistad mutiny off 1899: Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, 1952: Dr. Louis T. Wright honored by playwright, born. the coast of Long Island, New York. jazz musician and composer, born. American Cancer Society for his 1968: Dr. Vincent Porter becomes first black contributions to cancer research. Only about 50 percent of all patients certified in plastic surgery. take medications as directed. African American History Calendar May 2008 www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com

In the Media “ The goal is to provide health information that causes Norma J. Goodwin, M.D. change. People can’t plan to act until they understand. Founder, President and CEO People can’t understand until they have information. Health Power for Minorities, LLC ” Brooklyn, New York — Dr. Norma J. Goodwin

Thanks to HealthPowerForMinorities.org, disparities would widen. People who knew how to use She made the design exciting. She included soul food our site. We’re also trying to get employers to see better health literacy is only a click away. the major health Web sites would increase their health recipes and added different information for different how important it is to have computers in break knowledge. People who did not use the Internet for cultural groups. rooms,” says Goodwin. “The goal of our Web site is to be the most trusted health information would fall behind. source for minority and multicultural health information,” “The goal is to provide health information that causes Goodwin’s methods are working. Today, says Dr. Norma Goodwin, founder, president and CEO “We knew we had to make our information and change,” she says. “People can’t plan to act until HealthPowerForMinorities.org is listed in the top five of Health Power for Minorities, LLC. The company creates messages user friendly, and keep them short and simple. they understand. People can’t understand until they Google sites for both health information for minorities culturally appropriate health materials and programs. The goal for us in the health field is to take no more have information.” and multicultural populations. It gets more than 2 million The Web site is one of its major projects. than five minutes to give good, easy-to-understand basic The problem is not only health literacy. Goodwin says hits per year. Many large national health organizations health information,” Goodwin says. “Discussion, of also use the Web site as a resource for their patients. “We created the Web site because we saw a real need many people are not comfortable using computers course, must follow.” for it,” Goodwin says. “The Internet is a major source and the Internet. “Our tagline is ‘Knowledge + Action = Power.’ And of health information for many Americans, but there Goodwin thought about health literacy when developing “We need to be interesting enough to attract people I truly believe that,” she says. “We are empowering isn’t a lot of information on it that has been adapted all areas of the Web site. Instead of calling one section a to the site. That’s why we’re working with faith-based people to take action. And there’s nothing more for multicultural populations.” “Glossary,” she called it “What it Means.” She made all groups and community groups. We teach them about satisfying than that.” pages printer friendly. This way, people could print them Goodwin knew that if health information on the and talk about the information with their doctors. Internet did not become more culturally relevant, health

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Fact Number 5 1 2 3 Health literacy includes a variety of components 1867: First four students enter 1844: Inventor Elijah McCoy, 1964: Frederick O’Neal becomes first black Howard University. “the real McCoy,” born. president of Actors’ Equity Association. beyond reading and writing, including numeracy, 1998: Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther, 1995: Shirley Jackson assumes chairmanship listening and speaking; and relies on cultural author, dies. of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. and conceptual knowledge.

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1961: Freedom Riders begin protesting 1950: Gwendolyn Brooks becomes first 1812: Physician, author, explorer Martin R. 1845: Mary Eliza Mahoney, America’s 1983: Lena Horne awarded Spingarn 1899: John Albert Burr patents 1950: Boston Celtics select Chuck Cooper, segregation of interstate bus travel black to win a Pulitzer Prize in poetry Delaney, first black officer in Civil War, born. first black trained nurse, born. Medal for distinguished career in lawn mower. first black player drafted to play in NBA. in the South. for “Annie Allen.” 1991: Smithsonian Institution approves 1878: Joseph R. Winters patents first entertainment. 1988: Eugene Antonio Marino installed creation of the National African fire escape ladder. as first U.S. African American Roman American Museum. Catholic archbishop.

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Mother’s Day 1862: Black slaves commandeer the 1872: Matilda Arabella Evans, 1913: Clara Stanton Jones, first black 1820: Congress declares foreign slave trade 1927: Dr. William Harry Barnes becomes Armed Forces Day 1895: Composer William Grant Still, Confederate ship “The Planter.” first black woman to practice medicine president of the American Library an act of piracy, punishable by death. first black certified by a surgical board. 1954: Supreme Court declares segregation first black to conduct a major American in South Carolina, born. Association, born. 2007: Yolanda Denise King, eldest child of 1990: Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. dies. in public schools unconstitutional in symphony orchestra, born. civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Brown v. Board of Education. 2006: Former heavyweight boxing King Jr., dies. champion Floyd Patterson dies.

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 1896: In Plessy v. Ferguson, Supreme Court 1925: Malcolm X born Malcolm 1961: U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy 1833: Blacks enroll for the first time 1921: Shuffle Along, a musical featuring 1900: Sgt. William H. Carney becomes 1854: Lincoln University (Pa.), upholds doctrine of “separate but equal” Little in Omaha, Nebraska. dispatches U.S. marshals to Montgomery, at Oberlin College, Ohio. a score by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, first black awarded the Congressional first black college, founded. education and public accommodations. 1993: University of Virginia professor Alabama, to restore order in the Freedom 2006: Katherine Dunham, pioneering opens on Broadway. Medal of Honor. Rita Dove appointed U.S. Poet Laureate. Rider crisis. dancer and choreographer, author and civil rights activist, dies.

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1926: Jazz trumpeter Memorial Day Observed 1919: Sarah “Madam C.J.” Walker, 1948: National Party wins whites-only 1901: Granville T. Woods patents overhead 1965: Vivian Malone becomes first black 1870: Congress passes the first Miles Dewey Davis born. 1961: During Kennedy administration, cosmetics manufacturer and first black elections in South Africa and begins conducting system for the electric railway. to graduate from the University of Alabama. Enforcement Act, providing stiff Marvin Cook named ambassador to Niger female millionaire, dies. to institute policy of apartheid. 1973: Tom Bradley becomes first black penalties for those who deprive others Republic, the first black envoy named to 1942: Dorie Miller, a ship‘s steward, mayor of Los Angeles. of civil rights. an African nation. awarded Navy Cross for heroism during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. African American History Calendar June 2008 www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com

In the Dentist’s Office “ The big picture is raising people’s dental IQs to a Nathan Fletcher, D.D.S. Alison Riddle-Fletcher, D.D.S. level where they take better care of themselves and President, National Dental Association Public Health Dentist then pass along information to others. Fletcher & Fletcher Family Dentistry Baltimore City Health Department ” Gwynn Oak, Maryland Fletcher & Fletcher Family Dentistry — Dr. Nathan Fletcher Gwynn Oak, Maryland

If a tooth is bad, take it out. and flossing picture sheets. The Fletchers tell parents to explain how their oral health affects — or will at home — or simply waiting — causes more harm. Dentists cause pain. watch their children brush to make sure it is done affect — their general health.” When they finally get here, they’re in so much pain that Visit the dentist only when a tooth hurts. correctly. They also ask all patients to show them When they are not in the office, the Fletchers are it becomes a bad experience.” proper brushing and flossing techniques to make sure These are the myths that Drs. Nathan Fletcher and educating the community. They, along with a puppet Fletcher, who became president of the National Dental they have understood their oral care instructions. Alison Riddle-Fletcher have made their mission to prove who helps ease kids’ fear of dentists, speak at health Association this year, also is working with corporate false. To do so, they have come up with some unique “The big picture is raising people’s dental IQs to a level fairs and in schools. community outreach programs to provide dental ways to raise their patients’ dental IQs. where they take better care of themselves and then pass The Fletchers find that many people fear the dentist and education and screenings to elementary school-age along information to others,” says Fletcher. “The result children in underserved areas nationwide. In their private practice at Fletcher & Fletcher Family pass that fear to their children. Some choose to have a is an increase in overall health literacy.” Dentistry in Gwynn Oak, Maryland, patients are advised tooth removed over having a root canal to save the tooth. “Unfortunately, many schools don’t provide oral health to time their daily brushing routine with an egg timer The Fletchers try to teach patients and the public why it Others have tried home remedies that have made their education, because funding has been cut so much,” to ensure that they are spending the proper amount of is important to see the dentist regularly. They also stress teeth worse. Many seek advice from friends and relatives says Fletcher. “But it needs to be a priority in schools. time brushing their teeth. the link between dental problems and overall health. on what they should do about their dental problems. With these students and with our patients, we hope to effect change not only in attitudes but also in habits.” The husband-wife team also offers in their office culturally “Many people don’t know that poor oral health is tied “Patients are so afraid of coming in,” says Riddle- competent resource materials on dental health. Children to heart disease, diabetes, obesity and infections,” says Fletcher, who also is a public health dentist with the get packets containing coloring books, and brushing Fletcher. “When we speak with patients, we always Baltimore City Health Department. “But what they do

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1968: Henry Lewis becomes 1971: Samuel L. Gravely Jr. becomes first 1890: L.H. Jones patents corn harvester. 1967: Bill Cosby receives an Emmy Award 1987: Dr. Mae C. Jemison becomes first 1831: First annual People of Color 1917: Poetess Gwendolyn Brooks, first black musical director of an African American admiral in U.S. Navy. 1904: Charles R. Drew, who developed for his work in the television series I Spy. African American woman astronaut. convention held in Philadelphia. first black to win the Pulitzer Prize American symphony orchestra — process for preserving blood plasma, born. 1972: Activist Angela Davis acquitted (poetry, 1950), born. New Jersey Symphony. of all murder and conspiracy charges.

8 9 10 11 12 13 14 1953: Supreme Court ruling 1962: W.W. Braithwaite, poet, anthologist 1854: James Augustine Healy, first black 1964: Nelson Mandela sentenced to life 1963: Medgar W. Evers, civil rights leader, 1967: Thurgood Marshall nominated Flag Day bans discrimination in and literary critic, dies in New York City. Roman Catholic bishop, ordained a priest imprisonment by South African government. assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi. to Supreme Court by President 1864: Congress rules equal pay for Washington, D.C., restaurants. 1995: Lincoln J. Ragsdale, pioneer fighter in Notre Dame Cathedral. Lyndon Johnson. all soldiers. pilot of World War II, dies. 1927: George Washington Carver patents process of producing paints and stains.

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Father’s Day 1970: Kenneth A. Gibson elected mayor of 1775: Minuteman Peter Salem fights 1942: Harvard University medical student 1865: Blacks in Texas are notified of 1953: Albert W. Dent of Dillard University 1945: Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. 1913: Dr. Effie O’Neal Ellis, first black Newark, New Jersey, first African American in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Bernard Whitfield Robinson commissioned Emancipation Proclamation, issued elected president of the National becomes first black to command an woman to hold an executive position in the mayor of a major Eastern city. as the Navy’s first black officer. in 1863. “Juneteenth” marks the event. Health Council. Army Air Corps base. American Medical Association, born.

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 1897: William Barry patents postmarking 1940: Sprinter Wilma Rudolph, winner of 1964: Carl T. Rowan appointed director 1941: Franklin D. Roosevelt issues 1975: Dr. Samuel Blanton Rosser 1991: Supreme Court Justice Thurgood 1864: Fugitive slave laws repealed and cancelling machine. three gold medals at 1960 Summer of the United States Information Agency. executive order establishing Fair Employment becomes first African American certified in Marshall announces his retirement. by Congress. Olympics, born. Practices Commission. pediatric surgery. 1911: Samuel J. Battle becomes first black policeman in New York City.

29 30 1886: Photographer James Van Der Zee born. 1921: Charles S. Gilpin awarded Spingarn Fact Number 6 2006: Lloyd Richards, theater pioneer and Medal for his performance in Eugene Tony award winner for direction of Fences, O’Neill’s Emperor Jones. Oral health is an essential and integral dies on his 87th birthday. component of health throughout life. African American History Calendar July 2008 www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com

In the Neighborhood “ Whatever the message, it must be tailored to the Ira F. Combs, R.N., B.S. audience. You don’t talk to a 3-year-old the same Community Liaison Nurse and Project Coordinator way you talk to a 10-year-old. University of Nebraska Medical Center ” Founder and Volunteer Director, Omahealth Inc. — Ira F. Combs Omaha, Nebraska

When was the last time your doctor broke Dr. Jesse talks about topics on a basic level. He tells So Combs created Dr. Jesse. Today, other characters “Helping people learn how to take care of themselves out in song to tell you how to stay healthy? people to write a list of questions before visiting the such as Prevention Man and Medical Dude join the is so cheap and so effective,” he says. “It’s much doctor. He talks about healthful eating, blood pressure jewelry-wearing doctor. The characters visit health fairs, better to stop childhood obesity or prostate cancer If your answer is “never,” then you haven’t met and prostate cancer. schools and community events. They have comic books before they develop than to pay for their treatment — Dr. Jesse. Dr. Jesse and his crew called “The Prevention as well as “rap” videos on YouTube. both with money and with quality of life.” Gang” are puppets created by Ira Combs, the community Combs thought of the idea five years ago. He wanted liaison nurse coordinator at the University of Nebraska to find a new way to reach people with his health “Whatever the message, it must be tailored to the It’s safe to say Dr. Jesse would agree. Medical Center. He also is the voice of Dr. Jesse. information. His coworkers at the medical center told audience. You don’t talk to a 3-year-old the same way him to do a talk show or create a brochure. But he you talk to a 10-year-old. That may seem basic. But Dr. Jesse and The Prevention Gang have their own local thought those ideas were boring and stale. sometimes when doctors talk, they talk down to cable show in Omaha, Nebraska. They teach people of people. That turns off people,” says Combs, who all ages about important health issues in a way that is “The important thing is to get people to listen to the is a former schoolteacher. easy to understand. message,” says Combs. “I could make a brochure with great information in it, but no one would read it Combs says teaching people to be more health literate “Dr. Jesse can say things that I couldn’t say. He gets because it’s boring and black and white. Unless your is much more effective than the alternative. people to listen. He jokes around and makes health message stands out, people won’t listen to it.” fun,” says Combs.

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1 2 3 4 5 1889: Frederick Douglass named 1872: Elijah McCoy patents first 1688: The Quakers in Germantown, Independence Day 1892: Andrew J. Beard patents U.S. Minister to Haiti. self-lubricating locomotive engine. Pennsylvania, make first formal protest 1900: Traditional birthdate of Louis rotary engine. The quality of his inventions helped coin against slavery. “Satchmo” Armstrong, jazz pioneer. 1991: Nelson Mandela elected president the phrase “the real McCoy.” of the African National Congress.

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1957: Althea Gibson wins women’s singles 1948: Cleveland Indians sign pitcher 1943: Faye Wattleton, first black director 1893: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performs 1875: Educator Mary McLeod Bethune, 1905: W.E.B. DuBois and William Monroe 1937: Actor, comedian Bill Cosby born. title at Wimbledon, first black to win Leroy “Satchel” Paige. of Planned Parenthood, born. first successful open-heart operation. founder of Bethune-Cookman Trotter organize the Niagara Movement, 1949: Frederick M. Jones patents cooling tennis’s most prestigious award. 2000: Venus Williams wins women’s College, born. a forerunner of the NAACP. system for food transportation vehicles. singles championship at Wimbledon.

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 1965: Thurgood Marshall becomes 1951: George Washington Carver 1867: Maggie Lena Walker, first woman 1822: Violette A. Johnson, first black 1959: Singer Billie Holiday dies. 1899: L.C. Bailey issued patent for the 1925: Paris debut of Josephine Baker, first black appointed U.S. solicitor general. Monument, first national park honoring a and first black to become president of woman to practice before the U.S. folding bed. entertainer, activist and humanitarian. black, is dedicated in Joplin, Missouri. a bank, born. Supreme Court, born. 1998: African American Civil War Soldiers 1862: Anti-lynching activist Memorial dedicated, Washington, D.C. Ida B. Wells- Barnett born.

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 1950: Black troops (24th Regiment) 1896: Mary Church Terrell elected first 1939: Jane M. Bolin of New York City 1962: Jackie Robinson becomes first 1807: Shakespearean actor Ira Aldridge 1916: Garrett Morgan, inventor of the gas 1948: President Harry S. Truman issues win first U.S. victory in Korea. president of National Association of appointed first black female judge. black baseball player in the major leagues born in New York City. mask, rescues six people from gas-filled Executive Order 9981, ending segregation Colored Women. inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. tunnel in Cleveland, Ohio. in armed forces.

27 28 29 30 31 Fact Number 7 1880: Alexander P. Ashbourne patents 1868: 14th Amendment, granting blacks 1895: First National Conference of Colored 1822: James Varick becomes first bishop of 1874: Rev. Patrick Francis Healy process for refining coconut oil. full citizenship rights, becomes part of Women Convention held in Boston. African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. inaugurated president of Georgetown the Constitution. University, Washington, D.C. Oral and visual tools help patients absorb new information, which increases learning. African American History Calendar August 2008 www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com

In the Health Center “ It isn’t only about education levels or which languages are Cheryl E. Woodson, M.D., F.A.C.P., A.G.S.F. spoken; it’s about all types of communication.” Director, Woodson Center for Adult HealthCare — Dr. Cheryl E. Woodson Chicago Heights, Illinois

The small things Dr. Cheryl Woodson does for this planet. I decided then to work with older patients Woodson coordinates care with psychologists, social Woodson also offers medical care to younger adults and her patients make a clear difference. She gives and teach geriatrics so I could influence other doctors to workers and other medical specialists who can help the caregivers. She understands caregiver stress. Woodson them calendars that show medication doses give better care to older adults.” patient. Afterward, she holds a family meeting. was a professional caregiver for 20 years. She also was and times. Sometimes, she tapes pills to the After 20 years of medical practice, Woodson’s dream of “Health literacy is an important part of my work,” a caregiver for 10 years to her mother, who died of instruction sheets so patients can recognize a center that gives fair, quality care to all adults came says Woodson. “It isn’t only about education levels or Alzheimer’s disease. the medications easily. In her waiting room, true. In 2001, she opened Woodson Center for Adult which languages are spoken; it’s about all types of Woodson shares insights in her new book, To Survive patients fi nd a library of books on health and HealthCare in Chicago Heights, Illinois. The center’s communication. I take time to explain things clearly. Caregiving: A Daughter’s Experience, A Doctor’s Advice self-empowerment instead of a television. motto is “age is not a disease.” The whole family learns exactly what kind of care is on Finding Hope, Help and Health. The book helps Woodson first saw patients who were confused by their Every Wednesday, Woodson Center provides geriatric needed, and they find out how to do it right.” caregivers protect their health, finances and relationships doctors when she was in medical school. assessments. These evaluations look at physical health, At the end of the meeting, everyone knows what the while providing great care. “People couldn’t fully participate in their health care memory and the ability to stay independent. The center future looks like for the patient and the family. because they didn’t understand,” says Woodson. “It also blends traditional medicine with other therapies, such as “If anyone leaves my office without a clear understanding bothered me that older patients weren’t receiving nutrition, mental health, meditation and massage. There of what they need to do to improve their health, I certain therapies just because of the day they came onto is a strong focus on exercise, including tae kwon do, in haven’t done my job,” says Woodson. “When people which Woodson holds a second-degree black belt. know what’s going on with their bodies, they can make better health care decisions.”

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Fact Number 8 1 2 1879: Mary Eliza Mahoney graduates 1924: James Baldwin, author of Go Tell It from New England Hospital for Women on the Mountain, The Fire Next Time and Many people 65 and older have significant and Children, becoming the first black Another Country, born. difficulty reading and understanding medical professional nurse in America. information that is pertinent to their health.

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1800: Gabriel Prosser leads slave revolt 1810: Abolitionist Robert Purvis born. 1962: Nelson Mandela, South African 1965: President Lyndon B. Johnson signs 1907: Ralph Bunche, first African American 2005: John H. Johnson, founder and 1936: Jesse Owens wins fourth gold in Richmond, Virginia . freedom fighter, imprisoned. He was Voting Rights Act, outlawing literacy test Nobel prize winner, born. publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines, dies. medal at Summer Olympics in Berlin. not released until 1990. for voting eligibility in the South. 1989: Congressman Mickey Leland dies in plane crash during a humanitarian mission to Ethiopia.

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 1989: Gen. Colin Powell is nominated 1872: Solomon Carter Fuller, acknowledged 1977: Steven Biko, leader of 1981: Reagan administration undertakes 1989: First National Black Theater Festival 1888: Granville T. Woods patents 1922: Author Louis E. Lomax born. chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first as first black psychiatrist, born. Black Consciousness Movement in its review of 30 federal regulations, held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. electromechanical brake. African American to hold this post. 1921: Alex Haley, author of Roots, born. South Africa, arrested. including rules on civil rights to prevent 2007: Max Roach, first jazz musician job discrimination. honored with a MacArthur Fellowship, dies.

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 1849: Lawyer-activist Archibald Henry Grimké, 1859: Harriet Wilson’s Our Nig is first 1954: Dr. Ralph J. Bunche named 1993: Dr. David Satcher named director 1904: Bandleader and composer 1880: Cartoonist George Herriman born. 1926: Carter Woodson, historian, author, who challenged segregationist policies of novel published by a black writer. undersecretary of United Nations. of the Centers for Disease Control. William “Count” Basie born. inaugurates Negro History Week. President Woodrow Wilson, born.

24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1950: Judge Edith Sampson 31 1925: A. Phillip Randolph founds 1946: Composer, singer and producer 1935: Mary McLeod Bethune founds 1963: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 1920: Saxophonist Charlie “Bird” 1983: Lt. Col. Guion S. Bluford Jr. named first black 1836: Henry Blair Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Valerie Simpson Ashford born. National Council of Negro Women. delivers “I Have A Dream” speech during Parker born. becomes the first African American delegate to United patents cotton 1963: W.E.B. DuBois, scholar, civil rights March on Washington, D.C. astronaut in space. Nations. planter. activist and founding father of the NAACP, dies.

African American History Calendar September 2008 www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

In the Community “ We want to help men improve their health literacy Luvenia W. Cowart, Ed.D., R.N. and take responsibility for their health care.” Director, The Barbershop Education Program for Prostate Cancer — Dr. Luvenia W. Cowart Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow Associate Professor of Practice, Syracuse University Syracuse, New York

The neighborhood barbershop. It’s a place “We use materials that are culturally relevant and Cowart was concerned when she found out African “Many men are afraid to go to the doctor. They would for men to gather, get a trim, have a close appealing to African American men,” says Cowart. American men have the world’s highest rate of prostate rather not know if they are sick. Or they think going to shave … and learn about prostate cancer? “We think about everything — colors, photos, cancer. She recognized a new way was needed to tell the doctor makes them sick,” Cowart says. “We have to music, words. Every phrase is important. Every picture African American men about the dangers of the disease. change their minds. We tell them they need to go to the “For many men, health is not a main concern. They is purposeful.” doctor before they get sick or have symptoms.” don’t seek out health information. That’s why the “When men go to the doctor, they don’t ask questions,” barbershop is a great place to teach minority men Most important, Cowart and partner, Betty Brown, Cowart says. “We teach them to talk about their health Cowart says most of the men have been excited about about important health issues. It’s a place where they retired oncology nurse, talk to the men in a friendly, and ask the right questions.” the program. The results have been great. feel comfortable,” says Dr. Luvenia W. Cowart, nonjudgmental way. The program focuses on prostate cancer awareness, “I walk down the street, and men stop me to tell me director of the Barbershop Education Program for “We want to help men improve their health literacy but it also provides general health information. They talk they got their screenings,” she says. “I might not even Prostate Cancer. and take responsibility for their health care,” she says. about family history, diet, exercise and the importance know their names. But I know that I helped them take The program is conducted on Saturdays in six Cowart led the team that created the program in of a healthful lifestyle. They tell men to get tested early. control of their health.” barbershops in the Syracuse, New York, area. 1999 through the Prostate Cancer Education Council While waiting for haircuts or shaves, men learn about of Central New York. It is in partnership with Syracuse prostate cancer risks and check-ups that can help them. University, where she also teaches health literacy and There are videos, brochures, posters, one-to-one culturally competent health care. conversations and more.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 Labor Day 1958: Frederick M. Jones patents control 1979: Robert Maynard becomes first African 1957: Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus 1960: Leopold Sedar Senghor, poet and 1848: Frederick Douglass elected president 1993: Condoleeza Rice named provost at device for internal combustion engine. American to head a major daily newspaper, calls out the National Guard to bar black politician, elected president of Senegal. of National Black Political Convention in Stanford University, becoming the youngest Oakland Tribune in California. students from entering a Little Rock Cleveland, Ohio. person and first black to hold this position. high school.

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1954: Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, 1981: Roy Wilkins, executive director 1968: Arthur Ashe Jr. wins men‘s singles 1855: John Mercer Langston elected 1959: Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington 1913: Track and field star Jesse Owens born. 1886: Literary critic Alain Lovke, Maryland, public schools integrated. of the NAACP, dies. tennis championship at U.S. Open. township clerk of Brownhelm, Ohio, wins Spingarn Medal for his achievements 1992: Dr. Mae C. Jemison becomes first first black Rhodes scholar, born. 2001: Venus Williams defeats sister Serena 2000: Venus Williams wins women‘s singles becoming first black to hold elective in music. African American woman to travel in space. Williams in women’s finals at U.S. Open. tennis championship at U.S. Open. office in the U.S. 1999: Serena Williams wins women‘s singles tennis championship at U.S. Open.

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 1921: Constance Baker Motley, first black 1963: Four black girls killed in Birmingham, 1923: First Catholic seminary for black 1983: Vanessa Williams becomes first 1895: Booker T. Washington delivers 1893: Albert R. Robinson patents 1830: First National Convention woman appointed federal judge, born. Alabama, church bombing. priests dedicated in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. African American crowned Miss America. famous Atlanta Exposition speech. electric railway trolley. of Free Men agrees to boycott slave-produced goods.

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 1815: Gen. Andrew Jackson honors 1862: Emancipation Proclamation 1863: Civil and women’s rights advocate 1957: Federal troops enforce court-ordered 1974: Barbara W. Hancock becomes first 1962: Sonny Liston knocks out 2000: Venus Williams wins an Olympic courage of black troops who fought in announced. Mary Church Terrell born. integrations as nine children integrate African American woman named a Floyd Patterson to win heavyweight gold medal in women‘s singles tennis. Battle of New Orleans. 1989: Gen. Colin Powell is confirmed Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. White House fellow. boxing championship. 1998: Florence Griffith Joyner, Olympic as Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2006: Influential blues guitarist track star, dies. first African American to hold the post. Etta Baker dies.

28 29 30 Fact Number 9 1991: National Civil Rights Museum opens Rosh Hashanah Begins (sundown) 1962: James Meredith enrolls as first in Memphis, Tennessee. 1910: National Urban League established black student at University of Mississippi. 2000: Venus and Serena Williams win in New York City. Low health literacy adversely impacts cancer Olympic gold medals in women’s incidence, mortality and quality of life. pairs tennis. African American History Calendar October 2008 www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com Health Literacy Month

In the Hospital “ If you can read and understand health information, Ella Williamson, L.M.S.W. you can sit down and figure out what you need Director of St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital to do to take care of yourself. African-American Health Information & Resource Center ” Savannah, Georgia — Ella Williamson

It is hard to think about health care when we can refer them to our case manager and give them The center also has free health screenings (such as blood The center hopes all of these efforts will help everyone your basic life needs are not being met. a resource guide that shows where to go. But the pressure readings) and “wisdom-gathering” sessions. At in the community. The goal is to get people to make guide also tells them how to prepare food in a these sessions, people can talk in a friendly and relaxing timely health decisions. “Health is not a main concern for many people,” says healthful way.” environment about the health issues that affect them Ella Williamson. “Their main concern is getting jobs “If you can read and understand health information, and their family members. This helps Williamson ensure or feeding their families.” The center targets African Americans. But its doors are you can sit down and figure out what you need to do open to anyone who needs help getting health care. that people are improving their health literacy and are to take care of yourself,” Williamson says. Williamson is the director of the African-American learning about their health issues. Health Information and Resource Center at St. Joseph’s/ People of all ages can take part in programs such as Overall, Williamson would like the center’s activities to “Health care can be tough to understand. And low Candler Hospital in Savannah, Georgia. The center helps women’s fitness clubs and children’s puppet shows that create community health activists. health literacy does not mean low intelligence,” says people meet their basic needs first. Then it helps them teach health lessons. There is a resource library with Williamson. “A lot of people are embarrassed. That’s “I believe that all humans can reflect, learn, grow and with their health care needs. videos and reading materials that are written at a fifth- teach others,” she says. “I hope to see our program’s grade level, which use pleasing photos and colors to why they don’t ask questions. We need to keep the “Our programs get people in the door. Here, they can participants out in our community putting a voice to highlight culturally relevant health information. The center facts simple so people feel comfortable.” learn computer skills to help get better jobs. That can these health issues. I want them to use it, share it and publishes and distributes local health guides on topics help them afford health insurance later on,” Williamson make a difference.” such as where to go in the neighborhoods for exercise, explains. “If they need help feeding their families, food, clothing, hot meals, shelter and medical help.

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Fact Number 10 1 2 3 4 1996: Lt. Gen. Joe Ballard becomes first 2000: James Perkins Jr. sworn in as Selma, 1956: Nat “King” Cole becomes first black 1864: First black daily newspaper, black to head the Army Corps of Engineers. Alabama’s, first African American mayor. performer to host his own TV show. The New Orleans Tribune, founded. Low health literacy is linked to higher rates 2005: August Wilson, Pulitzer of hospitalization and higher use of Prize-winning playwright, dies. emergency services.

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1872: Booker T. Washington enters 1917: Political activist Fannie Lou Hamer 1934: Playwright-poet Amiri Baraka Yom Kippur Begins (sundown) 1888 : O.B. Clare patents trestle. 1899: Isaac R. Johnson patents 1887: Granville T. Woods patents Hampton Institute, Virginia. born. (LeRoi Jones) born. 1941: Rev. Jesse Jackson, political activist 2001: Dr. Ruth Simmons, first African bicycle frame. telephone system and apparatus. 1993: Toni Morrison becomes the first and civil rights leader, born. American leader of an Ivy League institution, 1887: Alexander Miles patents elevator. African American to win the Nobel Prize elected 18th president of Brown University. in literature.

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 1904: Physician and scholar Columbus Day Observed 1964: At age 35, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther 1991: Clarence Thomas confirmed as an 1984: Bishop Desmond Tutu wins 1888: Capital Savings Bank of Washington, 1948: Playwright Ntozake Shange, author W. Montague Cobb born. 1579: Martin de Porres, first black saint King Jr. becomes youngest man to win associate justice of U.S. Supreme Court. Nobel Peace Prize. D.C., first bank for blacks, organized. of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered 2005: C. Delores Tucker, civil rights in the Roman Catholic church, born. Nobel Peace Prize. 1995: The Million Man March for Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf, born. activist and founder of the National 1876: Meharry Medical College founded, “A Day of Atonement” takes place in Black Congress, dies. established as the Meharry Medical Washington, D.C. Department of Central Tennessee College.

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1943: Paul Robeson opens in Othello at 1898: The first black-owned insurance 1917: Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, 1953: Clarence S. Green becomes first 1947: NAACP petitions United Nations United Nations Day 1992: Toronto Blue Jays manager the Shubert Theater in New York City. company, North Carolina Mutual Life pioneer of bebop, born. black certified in neurological surgery. on racial conditions in the U.S. 1980: Judge Patrick Higginbotham finds Cito Gaston becomes first African American Insurance Co., founded. Republic National guilty in discrimination case. to manage a team to a World Series title. 2005: Rosa Parks, civil rights pioneer who sparked 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, dies.

26 27 28 29 30 31 1911: Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer, born. 1891: D.B. Downing, inventor, is awarded 1981: Edward M. McIntyre elected 1949: Alonzo G. Moron becomes first black 1979: Richard Arrington elected first African Halloween a patent for the street letter box. first African American mayor of president of Hampton Institute, Virginia. American mayor of Birmingham, Alabama. 1896: Actress, singer Ethel Waters born. 1954: Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes first Augusta, Georgia. 1899: William F. Burr patents switching black general in U.S. Air Force. 1998: President Bill Clinton declares device for railways. HIV/AIDS a health crisis in racial minority communities. African American History Calendar November 2008 www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com American Diabetes Month

In the Church “ We try to motivate people to apply their knowledge by Ella Garner Jackson, R.N. Bishop Ronnie C. Crudup, Sr. tying it into their faith. God has given us the knowledge to American Diabetes Association’s Project Senior Pastor stay healthy. We have to stay fit for the Master’s work. POWER Ambassador New Horizon Church International ” Leader, Health and Wellness Ministry Jackson, Mississippi — Ella Garner Jackson New Horizon Church International Jackson, Mississippi

When a church community joins together to The ministry’s success comes from applying culturally Since becoming more focused on diabetes health, NHCI obesity and women’s health. Each year the church make a difference, the results can be powerful. sensitive health programs, such as the American has seen a decrease in its members’ personal risk factors. holds a large “family fun and fitness” health fair, with When that community focuses its efforts Diabetes Association’s (ADA) Project POWER workshops. There is more participation in health care events, and activities for the whole family. on diabetes health, the results can be life This is a faith-based program that uses scripture to teach more church members are getting routine recommended “We try to motivate people to apply their knowledge by changing. Just ask the members of the about diabetes and its complications. The workshops screenings and finding medical facilities. tying it into their faith. God has given us the knowledge New Horizon Church International (NHCI) help people gain power over diabetes. “All of our efforts have been really well received,” says to stay healthy. We have to stay fit for the Master’s in Jackson, Mississippi — a state that ranks ADA provides NHCI with all the materials and support it NHCI’s Bishop Ronnie Crudup, Sr. “I think our church is work,” says Jackson. among the highest in the nation for the needs to run these workshops. All materials are written on known in the community as a really healthy church — on prevalence of diabetes. Jackson believes that health is a natural focus for a a sixth-grade level. They explain the link between diabetes, all levels. We are truly learning to live in health in every church community. “Both faith and health are extremely “NHCI takes a holistic approach to health through our exercise and diet. They also use culturally competent aspect of our lives.” important to me,” she says. “I believe Our Father has Health and Wellness Ministry,” says Ella Garner Jackson. information to help prevent, manage and control diabetes. In addition to the ADA partnership, NHCI hosts regular called upon us to be good stewards of our bodies. We She has been leader of the ministry since 1997. “The For example, the program helps church members health screenings for blood pressure, prostate cancer, have a responsibility to take care of ourselves and others.” ministry keeps health in the front of people’s minds understand the ABCs of diabetes (knowing their A1C, cholesterol, glucose levels and more. It runs educational in our community. It helps our members change their Blood Pressure and Cholesterol numbers). The goal is to programs on topics such as diabetes, heart disease, lives by improving their health literacy. It gives them help them avoid and/or delay complications such as heart information they may never have received otherwise.” disease, blindness, nerve damage and kidney failure.

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Fact Number 11 1 1945: John H. Johnson publishes Low health literacy is associated with poor blood sugar control first issue of Ebony. and higher instances of complications in patients with type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Daylight Saving Time Ends 1981: Thirman L. Milner elected mayor of Election Day 1968: Shirley Chisholm of Brooklyn, 1900: James Weldon Johnson and 1989: L. Douglas Wilder elected governor 1938: Crystal Bird Fauset elected 1954: Charles C. Diggs elected Michigan’s Hartford, Connecticut, becoming first 1879: Thomas Elkins patents New York, becomes first black woman J. Rosamond Johnson compose of Virginia, becoming nation’s first African state representative in Pennsylvania, first black congressman. African American mayor in New England. refrigeration apparatus. elected to Congress. “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” American governor since Reconstruction. becoming first black woman to serve in 1983: President Ronald Reagan designates 1992: Carol Moseley Braun becomes first a state legislature. Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday. African American woman elected to the U.S. Senate.

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 1731: Mathematician, urban planner 1983: Wilson Goode elected Philadelphia’s Veterans’ Day 1941: Mary Cardwell Dawson and Madame 1940: The U.S. Supreme Court rules 1915: Booker T. Washington, educator 1881: Payton Johnson patents and inventor Benjamin Banneker born. first African American mayor. 1989: Civil Rights Memorial dedicated Lillian Evanti establish the National Negro in Hansberry vs. Lee that blacks cannot and writer, dies. swinging chair. 2006: Ed Bradley, pioneering journalist, dies. 2006: Benny Andrews, painter and teacher in Montgomery, Alabama. Opera Company. be barred from white neighborhoods. whose work drew on memories of his childhood in the segregated South, dies.

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 1981: Pam Johnson named publisher of 1980: Howard University airs WHHM, 1797: Sojourner Truth, abolitionist 1953: Roy Campanella named Most 1865: Howard Seminary (later Howard 1893: Granville T. Woods patents electric 1930: Elijah Muhammed establishes the Ithaca Journal in New York, becoming first African American-operated public and Civil War nurse, born. Valuable Player in National Baseball University) founded in Washington, D.C. railway conduit. the Nation of Islam. first African American woman to head radio station. League for the second time. 1923: Garrett A. Morgan patents traffic a daily newspaper. light signal.

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 1897: A.J. Beard patents the 1868: Pianist Scott Joplin, the 1955: The Interstate Commerce Commission 1883: Sojourner Truth, abolitionist and Thanksgiving Day 1960: Richard Wright, novelist and author 1908: Supreme Court Justice Jenny Coupler, used to 30 “Father of Ragtime,” born. bans segregation in interstate travel. Civil War nurse, dies. 1990: Charles Johnson awarded National of Native Son, dies. Thurgood Marshall born. 1912: connect railroad 1970: Charles Gordone becomes first African Book Award for fiction for Middle Passage. 1961: Ernie Davis becomes first black 1908: Adam Clayton Powell Jr., politician Gordon Parks, cars. American playwright to receive the Pulitzer to win the Heisman Trophy. and civil rights activist, born. writer, filmmaker Prize (for No Place to Be Somebody). and photographer, born. African American History Calendar December 2008 www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com

In the Library “ The library is a place you go to for information. Here, you Lee H. Moultrie II Kim Williams-Odom can find everything from A to Z. So why not use the library Community Outreach Coordinator Public Library Manager to learn how to manage your health? REACH Charleston and Georgetown St. Paul’s Branch ” Diabetes Coalition of the Medical Charleston County Public Library System — Kim Williams-Odom University of South Carolina, College of Nursing Hollywood, South Carolina Charleston, South Carolina

Kim Williams-Odom is on a mission. She “I teach people how to use the computer, whether on The REACH Coalition works toward this goal by “They find the Web sites they bookmarked. They get wants everyone to check up on their health the Internet or through the library’s catalogs or databases, teaching people about health resources at libraries. new healthful recipes. They learn about their medicines. before they check out at the library. to find the best information on diabetes and nutrition. I It creates easy-to-understand posters and bookmarks They discover how to talk with their doctors.” suggest Web sites that are easy to understand and that to help people find both print and online information “The library is a place you go to for information. Here, Moultrie says he’s always looking for new and better use culturally relevant images and facts. At health fairs, I for diabetes and related health issues. It also sets up you can find everything from A to Z. So why not use the ways to share health information. “I listen to the radio. I also show members of faith-based organizations how to computer stations in the community so people can use library to learn how to manage your health?” she asks. read the newspaper. I look at the television. I try to find use the Internet and share the information they find on the Internet more easily and at no cost. messages and words that can get people to understand Williams-Odom is a public library manager in a rural it,” explains Williams-Odom. Although these resources are available to anyone health matters and health care issues.” area of Hollywood, South Carolina, and works with the Moultrie believes that showing people different ways to who needs help, people with less than 12 years of REACH Charleston and Georgetown Diabetes Coalition. Williams-Odom agrees that the way information is find health information will help increase health literacy. education or who are age 60 and older find the Lee Moultrie II is the coalition’s community outreach shared is key. “An important part of health literacy is program especially helpful. coordinator. Together, they help people find health “Low health literacy affects everyone. You can be highly being confident with what you know. If you have the information in the library, on the Internet and through educated and not understand your health,” he says. “The computer can be frightening for some people. information and you understand it, you can act on it.” local health experts. “Our goal is to connect people with reliable and current Even using a computer mouse can be a challenge at information so they can use it to make better health first. But by the end of our program, people use the decisions with their doctors.” computer by themselves,” says Williams-Odom.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 1955: Rosa Parks arrested for refusing 1884: Granville T. Woods patents 1847: Frederick Douglass publishes 1906: Alpha Phi Alpha, first black 1955: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 1932: Richard B. Spikes patents to give her seat to a white man, sparking telephone transmitter. first issue of North Star. Greek letter fraternity, founded at organizes Birmingham, Alabama, automatic gearshift. the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott. Cornell University. bus boycott, marking beginning of the Civil Rights movement.

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1941: Navy steward Dorie Miller shoots 1925: Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. born. 1872: P.B.S. Pinchback of Louisiana 1950: Dr. Ralph J. Bunche becomes first 1926: Blues singer Willie Mae “Big Mama” 1995: Willie Brown defeats incumbent 1944: First black servicewomen sworn down four Japanese planes during attack becomes first black governor. black awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Thornton born. Frank Jordan to become the first in to the WAVES. on Pearl Harbor. African American mayor of San Francisco.

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 1829: John Mercer Langston, congressman 1883: William A. Hinton, first black 1976: Andrew Young nominated by 1802: Teacher and minister 1865: Congress passes 13th Amendment, 1875: Educator Carter G. Woodson, 1860: South Carolina secedes from the and founder of Howard University Law on Harvard Medical School faculty, born. President Jimmy Carter to be U.S. Henry Adams born. abolishing slavery. “Father of Black History,” born. Union, initiating the Civil War. Department, born. 1994: Ruth J. Simmons named president ambassador to United Nations. of Smith College.

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Hanukkah Begins (sundown) 1883: Arthur Wergs Mitchell, first black 1867: Sarah “Madam C.J.” Walker, 1832: Charter granted to Georgia Infirmary, Christmas Kwanzaa Begins 1862: African Methodist Episcopal 1911: Baseball legend Josh Gibson born. Democrat to be elected to Congress, born. businesswoman and first black female the first black hospital. 1907: Cab Calloway, bandleader and first 1894: Jean Toomer, author of Cane, born . Zion Church founded in New Bern, millionaire, born. jazz singer to sell 1 million records, born. North Carolina. 2006: James Brown, legendary R&B singer and songwriter, dies.

28 29 30 31 Fact Number 12 1905: Earl “Fatha” Hines, “Father 1924: Author, sportswriter A.S. “Doc” 1842: Congressman Josiah Walls born. 1930: Odetta, blues and folk singer, born. of Modern Jazz Piano,” born. Young born. 1892: Dr. Miles V. Lynk publishes first black medical journal for physicians, the Medical Literacy is the single-best predictor of health status. and Surgical Observer. It is a stronger predictor than age, income, employment status, education level, or racial and ethnic group. Biographies

Janet Ohene-Frempong, M.S. A true educator, Dr. Trotter Wall regularly lectures and gives presentations Extremely active in his profession, Dr. Fletcher was a panelist at the “NDA on the Hill,” Janet Ohene-Frempong, president of J O Frempong & Associates, is a plain-language in California on various topics, including self-care and screening practices, medicine discussing public policy advocacy; and has testifi ed before committees in the House and and cross-cultural communications consultant with over 25 years of experience in reviews, contraception, and smoking-cessation programs. Senate of the Maryland State Legislature. He also has testifi ed on behalf of the NDA patient/provider communications. In December 2002, Dr. Trotter Wall contributed articles to several internal Pfi zer before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Committee on Medical Devices. Formerly director of the Health Literacy Project at the Health Promotion Council of publications, including Current FDA Approved Antifungals, Current FDA/EU Indication He currently is affi liated with the Baltimore (Maryland) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Southeastern Pennsylvania, Ohene-Frempong has conducted workshops and provided for Zovirax, Investigational Drugs to Treat Glaucoma and Investigational Drugs to Treat Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.; and has served as Polemarch (President) and 1st Vice consultation on low literacy and plain-language communication for a wide range of Age-Related Degeneration. Polemarch on its board of directors. Dr. Fletcher has served on several regional health information providers, including health care systems; government agencies; and national committees, currently including the National Health and Wellness health insurers; medical publishers; pharmaceutical companies; professional Carolyn Barley Britton, M.D., M.S. Committee. He also is the Eastern Province coordinator for the fraternity’s associations; and schools of medicine, nursing, and allied health. Achievement Academy; and has been president and vice president of the Kappa Alpha Dr. Carolyn Barley Britton is associate professor of Clinical Neurology at Columbia Psi Foundation of Metropolitan Baltimore, Inc. Additionally, he is a member of the Ohene-Frempong is co-author of Literacy, Health and the Law: An Exploration of the University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and associate attending physician at Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry board of visitors located in Baltimore Law and the Plight of Marginal Readers within the Health Care System, a monograph for New York Presbyterian Hospital. She also is the current president-elect of the Board of and an alumnus of the FBI Citizens’ Academy. health system and pharmaceutical industry administrators. Trustees of the National Medical Association, where she is involved in the association’s She also is co-author of Health Care for African Americans in Rethinking Ethnicity Health Literacy and Cultural Competency campaigns and training programs. and Health Care, a discussion of the role of marginal literacy as one barrier to optimal Dr. Britton received an M.D. from New York University, where she also received an Alison Riddle-Fletcher, D.D.S. care. She has served on several national advisory committees; and is co-founder and M.S. in Microbiology (Virology). She completed her internship and residency in Dr. Alison Riddle-Fletcher is co-owner with her husband, Dr. Nathan Fletcher, of Fletcher principal of the Clear Language Group, a consortium of nationally recognized health internal medicine at Harlem Hospital Center, Columbia University affi liation, followed & Fletcher Family Dentistry in Gwynn Oak, Maryland; as well as a public health dentist literacy experts. by a residency in neurology and a research fellowship in neurovirology at the for the Baltimore, Maryland, City Health Department. Along with her partner and Neurological Institute. husband, Dr. Nathan Fletcher, Dr. Riddle-Fletcher works to educate patients about the importance of regularly visiting the dentist. Derek E. Faison Dr. Britton is a recognized expert in neurovirology and infectious/infl ammatory She received her B.A. from North Texas State University (1982), her D.D.S. from Derek E. Faison is the founder and former president/CEO of Faison Offi ce Products diseases of the nervous system. For more than 20 years, she has worked tirelessly to Howard University College of Dentistry (1987) and a Certifi cate in Advanced General Company (FOPC), a full-service offi ce products supplier in Denver, Colorado. Since support funding for AIDS clinical trials, the training of minority and women clinical Dentistry from Howard University (1993). 1981, FOPC has provided offi ce solutions to both commercial and government researchers, and the inclusion of minority populations and women in clinical trials. accounts nationwide, including six of Colorado’s 10 largest employers. Her work at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases helped produce Dr. Riddle-Fletcher is involved in organized dentistry affi liated with Gulf State Dental the changes in federal clinical research guidelines to require inclusion of women and Association of the National Dental Association, serving as secretary for fi ve years. She is Faison was responsible for all business operations; he directed an executive team and minorities, and to expand clinical trials in the community. She was among the fi rst also the parliamentarian of the NDA House of Delegates and a delegate for Gulf State more than 160 employees; and he managed inventories in excess of $1 million. to describe the neurologic complications of acquired immunodefi ciency syndrome Dental Association. In 1996, Faison created a strategic joint venture relationship with Corporate Express (AIDS) and is a recognized authority on a rare viral complication, progressive She is a member of the Patapsco River Chapter of the Links, Incorporated; and also that signifi cantly increased revenues across America. In 2001, he negotiated and multifocal leukoencephalopathy. is affi liated with the Silhouettes of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., its auxiliary. consummated the company’s sale to Corporate Express. Dr. Britton has been a visiting lecturer in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. Dr. Riddle-Fletcher is the current Eastern Province (regional) coordinator of the Prior to founding FOPC, Faison spent 10 years as an executive with IBM Corporation. She has held leadership positions in several professional organizations and boards, Silhouettes. She has been president of the Baltimore Silhouettes, and has served as chair He was an account manager, marketing manager and a product planning manager for including Board of Trustees NMA, American Academy of Neurology, the Governor’s and as a member of several national and regional committees. the fi rst product ever acquired by IBM. Task Force on AIDS (New York), and the Manhattan Central Medical Society. Dr. Riddle-Fletcher was initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority at the Epsilon Mu In addition, Faison was managing partner for Kids Nite Out Across America, a Friday- Dr. Britton was recognized as Teacher of the Year by the Black and Latin Student Chapter, University of North Texas (1981). She is a life member and Silver Star of night activity program designed to keep kids safe and off the streets. He also has served Organization at Columbia University. She was listed among “New York’s Best AKA. She is the Centennial Basileus of Rho Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha as business development and venture funding manager for E Smart Services, a Denver- Doctors” in New York magazine in 1996 and 2006, Castle-Connolly Best Doctors Sorority, Inc. and has served in virtually every other leadership position throughout her based technology fi rm. in New York Metro area 2003 through 2007, and Best Doctors in America 2004 tenure with the chapter. Faison received a B.S. in business administration and marketing from the University through 2007. She also was profi led in Th e Network Journal in 2007 as one of the Dr. Riddle-Fletcher was awarded the prestigious Cultured Pearl Award, the Rho Xi of Colorado in Boulder. He also attended Small Business Management School at the Top Black Physicians. Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s highest award. In addition, she University of Wisconsin and earned a small business consultant accreditation from the is the recipient of several community service awards through her employment with the Institute for Independent Business. Sharon L. Youmans, Pharm.D., M.P.H. Baltimore City Public Health Department. Faison has received several awards for his work in business and in the community. Dr. Sharon L. Youmans is an associate professor of clinical pharmacy at the University He was the fi rst African American to win the Distinguished Business Leader Award of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Pharmacy and serves as vice-chair Ira F. Combs, R.N., B.S. from the University of Colorado. Faison also won the Martin Luther King Jr. Social for educational aff airs for the Department of Clinical Pharmacy. Her teaching Ira F. Combs is the community liaison nurse and project coordinator for the Internal Responsibility Award; the National Supplier of the Year Award by the National responsibilities include the coordination of the Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy Medicine — Oncology/Hematology section at the University of Nebraska Medical Minority Supplier Development Council; an Outstanding Performance Award from practice series course for fi rst-year students and lectures throughout the curriculum on Center. In this role, he serves as a liaison between the African American community the Tennessee Valley Authority; a Community Service Award from Montbello High topics of health communication and health literacy. and the project director, developing relationships in the community, facilitating health School; an Award of Excellence from the Small Business Administration; the Image Dr. Youmans received a Pharm.D. degree from UCSF (1985), completed a care services aimed primarily at screening and interventions for minority and the Award from the State of Tennessee; a Vendor Excellence Award from Eastman Kodak; general pharmacy practice residency at Presbyterian Hospital in San Francisco underserved population. Combining his medical knowledge with his marketing and Large Business Supplier of the Year Award from Minority Enterprises, Inc.; and (now California Pacifi c Medical Center) (1986) and received an M.P.H. from computer skills, Combs also developed the “Many-Mini Health Fair” and “Minority Outstanding Minority Supplier of the Year Award from Coors Brewing Company. San Jose State University (2005). Focused Marketing” concept for the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Faison is on the University of Colorado Business School Dean’s Advisory Board, and has Dr. Youmans worked as a clinical pharmacist for 16 years in both hospital and In 1974, Combs received a B.A. from Grace College of the Bible and a CDA from been guest lecturer to the school’s MBA candidates and to students at the University of community pharmacy practice in San Francisco. Her specialty training is in Iowa Western Community College. He received an EMT-Paramedic certifi cate Wisconsin’s Small Business Management School. He was the treasurer for Citizens For a pediatric pharmacy; and her areas of practice and research include immunizations, from Creighton University (1988), a B.S. in health care management from Trinity New Stadium, and he created the Mile High United Way’s D.I.G. (Diversity In Giving) health literacy, health communications and public health policy. Dr. Youmans University and an ADN from Metro Community College (1991). Combs underwent also is interested in working with underserved populations and examining health disparities in the pharmacy practice setting.

Campaign. He also is a member of the University of Colorado Foundation, Denver Metro Extremely dedicated to her profession, Dr. Youmans is an active contributor to several advanced nurses training in the intensive care unit at St. Joe Hospital (1992), where Chamber of Commerce, Volunteers of America, Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, publications, agencies and organizations, including the Global AIDS Interfaith he also received his peritoneal dialysis nurse certifi cation (1993). He is BLS certifi ed, Denver Broncos Active Roster Group, National Offi ce Products Association, Aurora Alliance; Breathe California – Golden Gate Public Health Partnership, the American NHS certifi ed in chemotherapy administration/oncology nursing, ACLS certifi ed Chamber of Commerce, University of Colorado Athletic Mentoring and Big Brothers. Journal of Pharmaceutical Education and Annals of Pharmacotherapy. In addition, and was an ACLS instructor (1992-1995). she has been invited to speak at numerous national, international, state and local As founder and volunteer director of the all-volunteer health organization, Jo Ann Pegues seminars; and she has authored several articles, abstracts, and chapters of books. Omahealth, Inc., which off ers free health screenings and education programs, Combs’ responsibilities include coordinating operations; editing NOAH, a monthly Jo Ann Pegues serves as the Focus on Diabetes project manager at Th e Center for For her eff orts in pharmacy practice, as a teacher, a student and a practitioner, newsletter; designing the Web page; and producing a monthly cable health African American Health in Denver, Colorado. She joined the center after a 30-year Dr. Youmans has received numerous awards, including the Best Practice in Pediatric program, “Th e Prevention Gang.” career with the U.S. Administration on Aging, working with 14 states and tribal Pharmacy Award by the Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group/Pfi zer, Inc.; the Long organizations in the areas of nutrition, health promotion and aging. Award for Excellence in Teaching from UCSF School of Pharmacy; and the Sam Since 2001, Combs has participated as a speaker or abstract for several medical Radelfi nger Outstanding Student Award from San Jose State University. organizations, including Oncology Nursing Society Congress (2001, 2002, 2004); Pegues received her B.S. degree from Oklahoma State University and is a registered Bi-Annual Intercultural Cancer Conference (2002, 2004); Nebraska Nursing State of dietitian with a certifi cate in adult weight management. She holds a master’s degree in Norma J. Goodwin, M.D. the Art (2002, 2003); Oncology Nurse Conference (2004); Institute of Learning for public administration from the University of Colorado at Denver. Dr. Norma J. Goodwin is founder, president and CEO of Health Power for Oncology Nursing Society (2003); National Black Nurses Association (2004); and Pegues is a member of the American Dietetic Association, Colorado Dietetic Minorities, LLC, a unique national corporation specializing in health Public Health Association of Nebraska Conference (2006). Association and Denver Dietetic Association; and she has served in several elected and communications for multicultural/minority health. Dr. Goodwin and her corporation Combs was named Citizen of the Year in 2003 by Omega Si Phi; and in 2005, My appointed positions at national and state levels. She is past president of the National focus on minority health improvement to reduce its health care burden and society’s Sister’s Keeper presented him with its Passion and Commitment Award. He also Organization of Blacks in Dietetics and Nutrition 2003-2006, a networking group for as a whole. In addition, she currently is clinical associate professor of Preventive received the Community Nurse of the Year Award 2007 from the Omaha Chapter of black dietetic professionals in the American Dietetic Association. She also is a member Medicine and Community Health at the State University of New York - Health the National Black Nurses Association. and a past chair of the Gerontological Nutritionists DPG, a founding member of the Science Center at Brooklyn and its M.P.H. program. Food and Culinary DPG, and a founding member of the Weight Management DPG. Dr. Goodwin earned a B.S. from Virginia State University and an M.D. from the As a result of her long-term interest in helping people to be healthy and stay Medical College of Virginia. Cheryl E. Woodson, M.D., F.A.C.P., A.G.S.F. physically active, she provides weight management counseling upon request to program A true entrepreneur, Dr. Goodwin also was founder, president and CEO of Dr. Cheryl E. Woodson is a primary and consultative health care provider for older participants at the center; targeting African Americans to help lower their risks for AMRON Management Consultants, Inc.; a consulting fi rm specializing in health adults and their families. In 1996, she developed an interdisciplinary assessment pro- diabetes and other chronic diseases. that successfully served more than 100 clients in New York, New Jersey, Puerto gram for frail older adults; and, in a period of fi ve years, she was able to broaden the service into a wellness practice for adults of all ages, the Woodson Center for Adult In May 2005, Pegues received a certifi cate of advanced leadership training as a Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; and of Health Watch Information and Promotion HealthCare in Chicago Heights, Illinois. fellow in the Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership, University Service, a national nonprofi t organization for minority health (1984 to 2002). of Denver. In 2003, the College of Health and Environmental Science at Oklahoma Dr. Goodwin has served in leadership positions in numerous organizations, After earning her undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, presented her with the Distinguished Alumni including the American Public Health Association, National Medical Association, Dr. Woodson continued on to earn a medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Award. In addition, in 2001, the American Dietetic Association presented her with the National Association of Health Services Executives, New York City Health and She completed internship and residency training in internal medicine at Temple Medallion Award, recognizing her contributions in the fi eld of nutrition. In May 2000, Hospitals Corporation, American Heart Association, American Red Cross of Greater University Hospital, Philadelphia, and fellowship training in geriatric medicine at UCLA. she received the “Ruth C. Bowling” Award, presented by Western Dairy Council for New York, and Atlanta University Center; and as an advisor to the CDC and the Dr. Woodson’s dedication to education earned her a fellowship in medical education leadership in nutrition education. National Institutes of Health. research from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Her scholarship and Pegues has served over the past 30 years as keynote speaker and workshop presenter She has authored/co-authored more than 60 publications, in addition to regular clinical excellence earned election to fellowships in both the American College of at workshops and conferences across the United States on the topics of nutrition, columns in the NAACP’s CRISIS magazine and National Baptist Convention of Physicians and the American Geriatrics Society. aging and health promotion. the USA’s Home Mission Journal. Media citations/participation include Th e New York After publishing several academic articles and textbook chapters, Dr. Woodson turned She and husband, Sam, have four children, seven grandchildren and two Times, New York City’s other three dailies, Th e Wall Street Journal, Th e Washington her attention toward a broader audience with the publication in February 2007 of To great-grandchildren. Her hobbies are traveling, golfi ng and cooking food for Post, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Th e Medical Herald, New York Amsterdam News, Survive Caregiving: A Daughter’s Experience, A Doctor’s Advice on Finding Hope, Help others to enjoy. El Diario, Essence magazine, Everybody’s magazine, CNN, PBS, WABC and and Health. Th e book includes insights from her medical practice and from her own numerous radio stations. experience as a family caregiver. Kari Trotter Wall, Pharm.D. Dr. Goodwin has been a key speaker nationally and abroad, and an honored Because of her outspoken advocacy for older adults and their caregivers, Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., appointed Dr. Woodson to the 2005 White House Conference Dr. Kari Trotter Wall is pharmacy director at the University of Southern California subject of many biographical works, including Who’s Who in Health Care, the World’s Pharmacy. She serves as a mentor to pharmacy students and interns; as well as oversees Who’s Who of Women, Who’s Who Among Black Americans, Who’s Who in the East, on Aging; and Charles Johnson, director of the Illinois Department on Aging, pharmaceutical care services and screenings, including immunizations; emergency Two Th ousand Women of Achievement (worldwide), and International Who’s Who of appointed her to the Illinois Older Adult Services Advisory Committee. contraception; latent tuberculosis clinics; diabetes management and screening; hyper- Community Service. Dr. Woodson is a tireless advocate for older adults and their families. She speaks to tension, cholesterol and osteoporosis screenings; and brown bag medication review. Nathan Fletcher, D.D.S. professional, patient and community groups on topics in geriatrics, caregiving, adult wellness and end-of-life care. She is committed to consulting with public policy makers She also maintains a busy retail pharmacy, fi lling approximately 400 prescriptions per Dr. Nathan Fletcher is co-owner with his wife, Dr. Alison Riddle-Fletcher, of to develop programs to meet the needs of our seniors and their caregivers. She also has day; and is an adjunct professor for the school of pharmacy, lecturing in various Fletcher & Fletcher Family Dentistry in Gwynn Oak, Maryland. He also is involved earned a second-degree black belt in tae kwon do. pharmacy modules and helping facilitate in OTC small-group discussions. in organized dentistry with the Maryland Dental Society, a component of the National Dr. Trotter Wall received a B.S. from the University of La Verne (1997). She received Dental Association (NDA), serving as president and delegate in the House of Delegates a Pharm.D. from the University of Southern California, where she also completed her for the NDA. He has been the vice speaker of the House of Delegates of the NDA, and Luvenia W. Cowart, Ed.D., R.N. community pharmacy residency. served as its parliamentarian, as well as the NDA vice president. Th is year, Dr. Fletcher Dr. Luvenia W. Cowart is an associate professor of practice, Department of Health Dr. Trotter Wall has maintained certifi cation in basic life support since 1991 and adult made the transition from president-elect of the NDA to president. and Wellness in the College of Human Services and Health Professions at Syracuse University. She also is a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse fellow. immunizations since 2001. Since 2003, she has maintained certifi cation in anticoagula- Dr. Fletcher graduated cum laude from Morgan State University with a B.S. in tion and basic physical assessment, has been involved in the emergency contraception chemistry (1980). He received a D.D.S. from Howard University College of Dentistry Dr. Cowart received a B.S. in nursing education from Wayne State University; an program and has been a California State Board of Pharmacy registered pharmacist. In (1987), where he graduated 10th in his class. M.S.N. in nursing education, an M.S. in rehabilitation and vocational counseling, and 2007, she became an American Pharmacist Association adult immunization trainer. In an Ed.D. in adult education/administration, all from Syracuse University. During his sophomore and junior years at Morgan State University, Dr. Fletcher was addition, she is currently a member of several professional organizations, including the Dr. Cowart’s academic interests focus on public health and health education among minor- American Pharmaceutical Association, California Pharmacist Association, Phi Delta Chi inducted into the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; and worked as a chemical researcher ities; community partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations; and health disparities Professional Fraternity, Skull and Mortar Service Fraternity, and American Society of with the Ford Motor Company, where he continued to work for three years after and minority health issues, including health literacy, cultural competence in health care, Health System Pharmacists. graduating and before entering into dental school. While attending dental school, prostate cancer in African American men, and obesity in African Americans. Dr. Fletcher earned honors on the College of Dentistry’s Dean’s List and the National Dean’s List; and was listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, and Outstanding Young Men of America. Biographies

She is the principal investigator on the Prostate Cancer Education Project, which Celebrate Savannah Award for Outstanding Community Service, and in 2005 Over the past four years, Williams-Odom and other librarians have collaborated seeks to reduce prostate cancer deaths among African American men; and the Genesis was nominated and pinned as A Fannie Lou Hamer 100/Plus Black Women with the REACH Charleston and Georgetown Diabetes Coalition, a CDC-funded Health Project, an obesity and healthful lifestyles intervention program for African of Infl uence. community-campus program of partnered organizations, working to eliminate American families conducted in partnership with local churches and other spon- diabetes disparities for more than 12,000 African Americans in two coastal South sors. She also is the editorial director of Healthy You, a student health newsmagazine Carolina counties. For their eff orts with REACH 2010, they were honored with an published by the College of Human Services and Health Professions in collaboration Ella Garner Jackson, R.N. award from the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. with Syracuse University’s Divisions of Undergraduate Studies and Student Aff airs. A registered nurse since 1973, Ella Garner Jackson began her career as manager of pediatrics at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center and has served as the center’s R.N. case “Miss Kim,” as community members call her, promotes library services at health fairs Co-founder and president of Health Literacy Productions, Inc., Dr. Cowart has manager for oncology for the past 10 years. Her responsibilities include patient advocacy; and other community events; and contributes to planning, implementing and evaluat- shown dedication to her causes through participation in several professional affi liations, collaboration with physicians, patients and families; as well as community referrals to ing community programs to help the underserved get reliable health information they including the New York State Nurses Association, Sigma Th eta Tau International facilitate discharge planning. can understand and use. As a librarian, Williams-Odom hopes to make clinics, doctors’ Honor Society in Nursing, Pi Lambda Th eta Honor and Professional Association offi ces and hospitals more empowering environments for parents. in Education. Jackson received an associate degree in nursing from Hinds College, Th e Reformed Th eological Seminary, and she has many local and national certifi cations and training. Williams-Odom has served as the chair of the Library’s Cultural Diversity Task Force Among Dr. Cowart’s many professional projects are the Pfi zer Health Literacy Visiting She hopes to pursue a degree in public health in the near future. and was honored with the “Extra Mile Award” from the Charleston County Public Lecturer Grant; the Interprofessional Learning Community, a Syracuse University Library. Recalling a quote from one of her favorite authors, Frederick Douglass, which Vision Fund; Assessing the Health Needs of 100 African American Men, a U.S. Jackson is an active member of New Horizon Church International, serving as can also be applied to health literacy, Williams-Odom’s motto is “once you learn to Department of Health and Human Services program; and multiple grants to support leader of its Health and Wellness Ministry since 1997. By collaborating with read, you will be forever free.” the Genesis (obesity) Project, including Excellus BlueCross/BlueShield, Wegmans community agencies, she has gained valuable knowledge and partnerships with Corporation, Wal-Mart Corporation, U.S. Department of Health and Human governmental and nonprofi t organizations that have assisted the health care ministry Services, Rosamond Giff ord Foundation, and the Cancer Research and in accomplishing its mission of maintaining wellness, improving health, preventing Lee H. Moultrie II Prevention Foundation. disease and managing illness. Lee H. Moultrie II is community outreach coordinator for the Medical University of Since 2001, Jackson has coordinated through Mississippi College to train other nurses South Carolina College of Nursing, and the REACH Charleston and Georgetown as congregational health nurses and to lead health ministries in their churches. She is a Diabetes Coalition (www.musc.edu/reach). In these positions, he works to promote Ella Williamson, L.M.S.W. volunteer for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and co-chair for the Mississippi healthful living; and connect people with public and private resources that can help For more than eight years, Ella Williamson has served as director of St. Joseph’s/ ADA Diversity Programs Committee. them fi ght disease and raise their awareness of risk factors. Candler Hospital African-American Health Information & Resource Center in Jackson has served on the board of directors of the Willowood Development Center. After retiring from the United States Air Force, Moultrie became increasingly active in Savannah, Georgia. During that time, Williamson has participated in internal promoting health and wellness awareness. He participates in several ongoing research meetings with St. Joseph’s/Candler to coordinate the resource center’s goals and Currently she serves on the Pastoral Consultant Committee, Mississippi Baptist Medical Center; Committee for Parish/Congregational Nurse Ministry Training and awareness projects, including US TOO’s Minority and Underserved Populations objectives with those of the system. She also has conducted research, user surveys Prostate Cancer Awareness Program, Men’s Health Network, National Black and focus groups to determine the products and services the center should off er. Program of Mississippi, Mississippi Baptist Health System; the advisory board of the Samaritan Counseling Center; and the Jackson Roadmap to Health Equity Committee. Leadership Initiative on Cancer III, US TOO Prostate Cancer Support Groups and Williamson serves on policy-making forums, advisory groups and committees at the the South Carolina Cancer Disparities Community Network. local, state and national levels. Over the past few years, in all of her top-level manage- Th rough her many affi liations, Jackson has assisted church health and wellness ministries ment positions and outside consulting work, Williamson has traveled extensively as throughout Mississippi to conduct screenings, provide educational programs and con- In 2005, Moultrie participated in a national PBS video special called “A Lion in the a trainer and presenter. As a result of her presentations, she has consistently achieved nect with other local and national community agencies. In 1998, she was profi led as the House,” which helped educate the community about the impact of childhood cancer high customer ratings, and has earned the professional reputation of providing February Virtue magazine cover story, “How God’s Love Overcomes Our Diff erences.” on families. In 2006, he co-authored an article in the August Journal of South Carolina programs and services that address multiple challenges facing our constantly changing Medical Association entitled “Prostate Cancer Disparities in South Carolina: Two Jackson is divorced and has two children, Leon and Tiff any. She enjoys spending time Generations Talking from a Male’s Perspective.” global environment. She also has provided more than $250,000 in grant funds for with her family and grandchildren, Lauren, Taylor, Treasurer and Jackson; and adopted program planning and operations, and technical assistance and consultation to other grandchildren, Brandon and Courtney. Moultrie also serves on the Executive Committee of the statewide South Carolina community-based health promotion programs in Georgia. Cancer Alliance; the Executive Board for the Noisette Foundation; Chairman of the Williamson graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Morris College and earned her 100 Black Men of Charleston, Inc. School Improvement Council; Chairman for M.S.W. from Ohio State University. Kim Williams-Odom North Charleston High School; Promoting Health and Wellness Vision Council of Kim Williams-Odom is manager of the St. Paul’s Branch library in the Charleston the Trident United Way; Charleston County Diabetes Coalition; American Legion Williamson is author of two articles connected to the HealthOnline strategy series. Th e County, South Carolina, Public Library System. Her daily responsibilities include Veteran’s Organization; Royal Baptist Church and the Brotherhood Association; two articles focus on “How to Make Community Health Coalitions Work” and “Beyond providing reference, readers’ advisory, and PC workstation assistance; supervising staff ; and also on the National Health and Wellness committee of the 100 Black Men of Awareness: Building Cultural Competence System of Care.” She also is author of the preparing regular library reports; and preparing and presenting literature-based America, Inc. articles “College-bound Youth: from the Home Room to the Dorm Room” and “Th e programs for all ages. Her daily goal is to be a customer-focused communicator who Moultrie hosts a monthly health-related talk radio program, and he participated in Road ‘Less Traveled By’: Collaborating With Teens for Community Change.” Currently, builds strong relationships with all library users. Williamson is in the process of publishing several books for children and adults. the production of a video called “Clinical Trials Awareness” at the Hollings Cancer Williams-Odom received a B.A. from North Carolina State University (1994). She Center of the Medical University of South Carolina to encourage African Americans Since 1991, Williamson has been requested as a guest speaker/presenter for various profes- earned her eff ective teacher training certifi cate from Wake Technical Community to participate in clinical trials. He has participated in several educational television sional events and organizations to discuss topics such as youth development, culture and College (1997) and Coastal Carolina Community College (1995). Since 1999, she sessions about health throughout the state and is frequently quoted in the newspaper. health, health literacy and health disparities, and outcome evaluation. Her expertise on such has completed numerous training sessions at the Charleston County Public Library/ He serves on a leadership committee with the Glaucoma Research Foundation’s subjects has allowed her to teach social science courses at colleges and universities such as Technology Learning Center. Williams-Odom received her M.L.I.S. from the Savannah State University, Saint Leo College, and Florence-Darlington Technical College. Historically Black Colleges and Universities Glaucoma Awareness Initiative, United University of South Carolina, Columbia (2007), where she focused on early literacy. Negro College Fund committee in Charleston, legislative ambassador with the Williamson remains extremely active in her community and profession, A mother of two girls (Imani, 9, and Nia, 5), Williams-Odom is interested in American Cancer Society, Toast Master and a member of the 50 Million participating in more than 20 professional and civic affi liations, including American promoting early literacy as a matter of public health. Pound Challenge. College of Healthcare Executives, March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, An advocate for better nutritional choices in schools and parental involvement through and National Association of Social Workers. A strong civil rights activist, Moultrie was recently nominated for the Jeff erson family literacy programming, Williams-Odom serves as a member of the Charleston Award for community service. As a result of her dedication and hard work, she has been honored with numerous Development Academy Charter School’s school improvement council, the Charleston awards and nominations, including the Distinguished Award for Outstanding Social County School District’s Title I Parent Leadership Institute/Advisory Council, Worker from the American Biographical Institute (1998), the Outstanding Young the College of Charleston’s Center for Partnerships to Improve Education and the Woman of America Award from Outstanding Young Americans, the Georgia Guardian Charleston County Community of Readers.

SPECIAL THANKS RESOURCES June CREDITS Aetna African American Employee Network American Diabetes Association Fletcher & Fletcher Family Dentistry Produced by Aetna Inc. Gwynn Oak, Maryland Jasmine Alvarez www.diabetes.org Hartford, Connecticut Offi ce of Dr. Carolyn Barley Britton California Health Literacy Initiative July Project Manager New York, New York http://cahealthliteracy.org The Educare Center of Omaha Peggy Garrity Omaha, Nebraska Christine Burgess Center for African American Health Creative Development Health Power for Minorities www.caahealth.org August Aetna Inc. Brooklyn, New York Tae Kwon Do USA Pita Communications LLC Center for Health Care Strategies Homewood, Illinois Dexter L. Campinha-Bacote, M.D. www.chcs.org Creative Director Medical Director September Tom Stecko Health & Literacy Special Collection Blue Brothers Barber Shop Aetna www.worlded.org/us/health/lincs Content Supervisor Cincinnati, Ohio Syracuse, New York Health Literacy Consulting Kim Pita Sharon Carey October www.healthliteracy.com St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital Writers Woodson Center for Adult HealthCare Emily Cretella, Rebecca Giantonio Chicago Heights, Illinois Health Literacy Institute African-American Health Information and http://www.healthliteracyinstitute.net/ Resource Center Designers Walter G. Cathey, Pharm.D. Savannah, Georgia Mark Callahan, Renee D’Accardi CEO Health Power for Minorities Institute for Community Pharmacy www.healthpowerforminorities.org November Photography Glendale, California Institute for Community Pharmacy New Horizon Church International Lou Jones Studio Jackson, Mississippi Boston, Massachusetts Bishop Ronnie C. Crudup, Sr. www.icrx.org New Horizon Church International Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing and December Photographer Jackson, Mississippi the REACH Charleston and Georgetown Diabetes Coalition John’s Island Regional Library Lou Jones Carla Espinoza, LVN, CPHQ www.musc.edu/reach Charleston, South Carolina Assistants Leah Cornwell, Matt Kalinowski, Keith McWilliams Health Care QM Manager National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) MONTHLY FACTS SOURCES Aetna http://nces.ed.gov Kurt Wittman Houston, Texas January: Institute of Medicine, Health Literacy: A National Cancer Institute Prescription to End Confusion. Washington, DC: Project Assistants Ivonné Fuller Bertrand, NRPP, MPA http://oc.nci.nih.gov/services/Clear_and_Simple/HOME. National Academies Press; 2004. Myrna Blum, Robert Obie, Sharon Valechko National Medical Association htmhealthliteracy Printing Washington, D.C. February: Baker, D.W.; Parker, R.M.; William, M.V.; et al. National Dental Association The Health Care Experience of Patients with Low Literacy Riegel Printing Company, Inc. Millicent Gorham www.ndaonline.org (1996). Archives of Family Medicine, 5: 329-334. Ewing, New Jersey Executive Director National Black Nurses Association, Inc. National Library of Medicine, NIH March: Health Literacy & The Prescription TO ORDER CALENDARS Silver Spring, Maryland www.nlm.nih.gov Drug Experience: The Front Line Perspective Additional calendars are available for $4 each. From Patients, Physicians and Pharmacists, To order, please send a check, payable to Aetna, to: LaVette Henderson National Medical Association Roper ASW, May 2002. National Dental Association www.nma.org Aetna Calendar Washington, D.C. April: Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. Corporate Communications, RWAB Pfizer Health Literacy Initiative Health Literacy and Understanding Medical Information. Hartford, CT 06156-3213 Judy Langley, R.N., M.B.A., CPHQ www.pfizer.com 1998. http://www.chcs.org/resource/hl.html. Phone: 860-273-0509 Director, Quality Management The Institute for Healthcare Advancement May: Institute of Medicine, Health Literacy: A Fax: 860-273-6887 Aetna www.ihc4health.org Irving, Texas Prescription to End Confusion. Washington, DC: The Institute of Medicine National Academies Press; 2004. Shaquita Perry www.iom.edu Harrisburg, Pennsylvania June: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The Partnership for Clear Health Communications (HHS). Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon Denise Price-Brown www.AskMe3.org General. Rockville, MD: HHS, National Institutes of Health, Native and African-American Initiatives National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 2000. American Diabetes Association LOCATIONS FOR PHOTOGRAPHY Alexandria, Virginia July: Houts PS, et al. “Using Pictographs to Enhance Cover and Introduction Recall of Spoken Medical Instructions.” Patient Education Rosalyn Reese Aetna Counseling, 1998; 35(2), 2001; 43(3). The Center for African American Health Hartford, Connecticut Denver, Colorado August: Journal of the American Medical Association: January “Health Literacy Lacking Among Elderly,” http://www.musc. Angela B. Ruffin, Ph.D. Faison Residence edu/catalyst/archive/1999/co2-12jama.htm. National Library of Medicine Aurora, Colorado National Institutes of Health September: Merriman, Betty, CA: A Cancer Journal for February Physicians, May/June 2002. Bethesda, Maryland University of Southern California Pharmacy Stephanie Willis, M.S. Los Angeles, California October: Agency for Health Care Research and Quality Report, “Literacy and Health Outcomes,” (January 2004). Associate Director-Programs, Alabama/Mississippi March American Diabetes Association Office of Dr. Carolyn Barley Britton November: Journal of the American Medical Association, Birmingham, Alabama New York, New York http://www.minoritynurse.com/vitalsigns/dec03-4.html. Betsy Yates April December: June 2003, Volume 5, Number 6 Public Relations Manager UCSF Medical Sciences Building Reducing the Effects of Low Health Literacy, St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital San Francisco, California by Faith Lagay, Ph.D. Savannah, Georgia May Times Square New York, New York