In Plain Language and Other Good Resources
www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy

This Web site includes an introduction to health literacy studies at the Harvard School of Public Health/NCSALL, a PowerPoint overview, an annotated bibliography, a review of the literature, as well as several reports. You will also find innovative materials for low-literacy audiences, curricula, and an annotated link page to other related sites. Additional materials will be put on the Web over time.

In addition, the site offers a preview of a new video, In Plain Language. This 15-minute video was developed to promote increased awareness of health literacy issues among researchers and practitioners in medicine and public health. The video can ordered from the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) for a small mailing fee. To order the video, contact NCSALL through e-mail at ncsall@worlded.org

Healthy Workplaces: Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health

MassCOSH, the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, offers interactive workshops for a wide range of groups, including adult education programs, ESOL classes, and unions. Topics include worker health and safety rights; what to do about toxic chemicals; indoor air pollution; repetitive strain injuries; other ergonomic problems; and blood-borne pathogens. MassCOSH can help answer your health and safety questions, develop strategies for addressing unsafe work conditions, and link you with medical, legal, technical, and other resources.

MassCOSH also has a library of health and safety curricula, fact sheets, and videos, some for Spanish speakers and some designed with beginning readers in mind. You can reach the MassCOSH hotline at 617-825-7233.

Books

Beyond the Brochure: Alternative Approaches to Effective Health Communication (1994).
AMC Cancer Research Center, 1600 Pierce Street, Denver, CO 80214

Domestic Violence: An ESL Curriculum (1993).
International Institute of Boston, 1 Milk Street, Boston, MA 02109

Ideas in Action: Participatory Health and Literacy Education with Adults (1996). Joan LaMachia and Elizabeth Morrish
World Education, 44 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02110

The Right to Understand: Linking Literacy to Health and Safety Training (1994).
Elizabeth Szudy and Michelle Gonzalez Arroyo
Labor Occupational Health Program, Publication Orders, UC Berkeley, 2515 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94720

Learning for Our Health: A Resource for Participatory Literacy and Health Education (1998).
Mary and Pat Campbell
Edmonton Learning Centre Literacy Association, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Taking Action, Making Change: A Handbook on Health Care Reform (1993).
Health Care for All, 30 Winter Street, 10th Floor, Boston, MA 02108, 617-350-7279

Taking Care: A Handbook About Women's Health (1991).
Mary J. Breen
Toronto, Ontario: McGraw Hill Reyerson