Articles for Educators:
- A Brief History of the Health Work in Massachusetts
- Impacts and Outcomes
- Low Literacy Level and Poor Health are Directly Linked
- Participatory Health Education and Student Health Teams
- Student Health Teams
- Worker Health and Safety Page
- Topics Students Are Interested in
A Brief History of the Health Work in Massachusetts
In 1991, a group of adult basic education practitioners and health educators began meeting at World Education in Boston to discuss and envision what embedding health instruction in adult basic education programs might look like. The group, which became known as the Literacy and Health Group, found a home at World Education through its work with Massachusetts's System for Adult Basic Education Support (SABES). At the time, both literacy and health educators were gripped by recent studies documenting the connection between poor health and low literacy. They agreed that both literacy and health education systems were needed to address the issue. They also agreed that the pedagogical approach must embrace individual and collective empowerment and advocate for community participation in identifying health problems as well as strategies to address those problems.
The first efforts to embed health instruction in literacy education took the form of discrete projects, usually focused on a disease or body part, such as an HIV/AIDS Curriculum Kit and Project HEAL (Health Education in Adult Literacy), which focused on early detection of breast and cervical cancer. In 1994, when tobacco tax dollars were devoted to literacy and health, a broader, more inclusive approach became possible. Advocacy by the Literacy and Health Group with the Massachusetts Department of Education resulted in a series of "Comprehensive Health Projects," which were based on a peer-leadership and participatory framework. Since 1994, over 50 adult basic education (ABE) programs in Massachusetts have been funded, receiving $10,000 to $20,000 apiece each year to accomplish such projects. In 2004, 14 programs of these 50 programs were funded under Comprehensive Health dollars for a five-year period under regular ABE funding. Another venue for the literacy and health work, Student Leadership/Health Mini-grants, has involved an additional 21 programs. The mini-grants, administered through SABES, support short-term projects at $2,000 to $4,000 apiece.
For the period 2005-2010, there are currently 19 programs recommended for grants of up to $12,000 annually to support health teams.