(Monday, October 15, 2018) Guam Regional Medical City joins with the island’s other hospitals and the Nieves M. Flores Public Library to celebrate Health Literacy Month. On Wednesday, October 17, there will be a special presentation in honor of Health Literacy Month at 9:30 am at the Nieves M. Flores Public Library in Hagåtña.
Senator Dennis Rodriguez will present a legislative resolution declaring October as Health Literacy Month and honoring the island’s health literacy advocates like GRMC, Guam Memorial Hospital, US Naval Hospital, and Nieves M. Flores Public Library. There will also be a special guest reader from GRMC to read the story “Tricky Treat” to children at the public library. “Tricky Treat” is a children’s book on diabetes education created by the Native American Diabetes Project.
Health Literacy Month is celebrated annually in October. Health Literacy is defined by the Institute of Medicine as “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.” The purpose of Health Literacy Month is to raise awareness on the importance of making health information understandable to the community.
Health literacy advocates conduct awareness campaigns through promoting use of culturally-sensitive and reader-centered health information materials, as well as by encouraging healthcare professionals to use plain language and effective communication skills when they discuss medical care with patients and their families. For more information about Health Literacy Month, you can go to www.healthliteracymonth.org.
For more information about GRMC, visit our website at www.grmc.gu