HealthLit4Wake

Wake County Human Services (WCHS), in collaboration with key stakeholders, will implement HealthLit4Wake ? a multi-stakeholder approach to advance health literacy related to COVID-19, reduce disparities for groups disproportionally impacted by COVID-19, and improve social determinants of health among racial and ethnic minorities in Wake County, North Carolina. HealthLit4Wake will utilize a ?listen, learn, act? strategy to develop a health literacy plan, culturally appropriate communication campaigns, and partner with community-based organizations to link to communities with the health system. HealthLit4Wake will listen to communities to understand lived experiences during COVID-19, including barriers and opportunities to healthcare in Wake County. Listening sessions will use trusted community leaders and serve as the foundation for the work conducted by HealthLit4Wake. HealthLit4Wake understands that trust in the health system can only be bolstered if the concerns of communities are understood. Listening sessions will be conducted in a variety of languages and focus on portions of the county most impacted by COVID-19, to ensure that those most in need are reached. HealthLit4Wake will LEARN through the development of culturally responsive campaigns which dispel vaccine hesitancy and increase health literacy related to COVID-19 interventions. Campaigns will be culturally and linguistically appropriate, with a focus on expanded reach to Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino individuals, especially for vaccination events. Campaigns will be conducted through traditional and digital methods, with the aim of expanding reach to younger populations through infographics and social media. HealthLit4Wake will encourage continual learning to adapt and enhance campaigns so that messaging remains relevant to current COVID-19 concerns in communities. HealthLit4Wake will ACT through a network of community partners to bolster trust in the health system and increase the percentage of community members vaccinated. Community structures such as Faith-based organizations and barbershops/beauty salons will serve as collaborative partners to HealthLit4Wake, providing information on COVID-19 vaccinations. HealthLit4Wake, will also use community health workers to link community members with health services and ensure that public health campaigns are culturally relevant to specific communities. Finally, as a commitment to address racism as a public health crisis, HealthLit4Wake will work with Raleigh Organizing Against Racism (ROAR) and will establish a COVID-19 Equity Community to serve as the governing organization for all work conducted. Saint Augustine?s University will support all quality improvement and evaluation activities for HealthLit4Wake, ensuring that accountability for the work conducted. As a collaborative partner, Saint Augustine?s University will utilize expertise from their school of public health to support evaluation and impact of health literacy initiatives.