Hub Events

People with Limited English Proficiency face many language and cultural barriers outside scheduled healthcare visits. To reduce these barriers, medical interpreters often extend their services to include health system navigation. La Clínica del Pueblo, a federally qualified health center and community-based organization, worked with the Horowitz Center for Health Literacy to research and identify how to enhance and expand medical interpreters’ role in advancing health literacy within the organization and with patients. The webinar will describe the project and recommendations for next steps.

Slides - La Clinical del Pueblo

Webinar recording - La Clinica del Pueblo

Health organizations can't fix what they don't know about, and finding and fixing health literacy barriers in a health organization takes leadership, planning, and focus. Implementing health literacy at an organization can help the public - residents, patients, and clients - find and understand health information. The first steps to becoming a health literate organization are to build a team and find champions. Join us and learn how to create your team to change organizational and professional practices to improve health literacy. 

Slides - Organizational Health Literacy 

Webinar recording - Organizational Health Literacy

Using active voice energizes your writing and makes information clearer to your audience. Dr. Cynthia Baur led participants in a deep-dive to learn to identify passive voice and revise it to active. 

Slides - Active Voice

Webinar recording - Active Voice

Creating effective communication products for multicultural audiences who use everyday languages beyond English requires intentional choices and forethought that prioritize the needs, preferences, and values of your priority audiences. This session offered recommendations for writing and adapting content for non-English speakers (translation and transcreation).

A Design Process for Clear and Culturally Responsive Health Information Products slides

A Design Process for Clear and Culturally Responsive Health Information Products recording

Jargon may sound fancy, but it gets in the way of connecting with your audience. This session is a deeper dive into jargon, which was introduced in our Plain Language Basics webinar.

Eschew Obfuscation: Recognizing and Eliminating Jargon slides

Eschew Obfuscation: Recognizing and Eliminating Jargon recording

Your website may have great information to share, but can your audience find, understand, and use that information? The Hub's Web Content Review Tool can help you structure information so it's easy to read and understand.

Intro to the Hub's Web Content Review Tool slides

Intro to the Hub's Web Content Review Tool recording

Community health workers (CHWs) are trusted information sources, cultural brokers, and valued care partners, but first and foremost, they are communicators. Learn about the Hub’s training modules that help CHWs build communication and connection skills to more effectively serve their clients.

Overview of Health Literacy for CHWs slides

Overview of Health Literacy for CHWs recording

Dr. Sandra Saperstein presented an introduction to the field of data visualization, or "data viz." She discussed how to determine which chart to use for the data you have, shared tips to help your audience get the data message you want to elevate, and demonstrated simple techniques to make a chart less cluttered and more impactful.

Dr. Sandra Saperstein is a Senior Consultant at Sharp Insight, a program evaluation firm. Her evaluation work has focused in the non-profit and public sectors and has included evaluation planning, literature reviews, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, data visualization, reporting and capacity building.   

In addition to her work at Sharp Insight, Sandy is also a Lecturer at the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, College Park. She teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in public health informatics and social media/digital health. Prior to obtaining her degree in Public Health, Sandy worked as an occupational therapist and provided services to adults with strokes and head injuries.

Dr. Cynthia Baur, Director of the Horowitz Center for Health Literacy and the Maryland InfoHub, explained why plain language matters and offered tips for creating messages your audience can understand the first time they see, read, or hear it.

Plain Language Basics

Webinar recording - Plain Language Basics

Representatives from Maryland’s Eastern Shore counties joined the Hub team and colleagues from elsewhere in Maryland for the Hub’s inaugural Eastern Shore Convening. Though inclement weather pushed the meeting online, participants enjoyed dynamic and informative presentations and networked through the event chat.

REVISED 1/10/2024

11:00 - 11:10 AM    Welcome

• Dr. Cynthia Baur  

11:10 - 11:35 AM     Hub Overview & Evaluation Plan 

• Dr. Cynthia Baur 

11:35 - 12:30 PM    Panel Discussion: State and Local Organizations’ Challenges and Opportunities for Plain Language Public Information

• Keri Grant, Tech Extension Educator
• Susanne Forno, Maryland Insurance Administration
• Habacuc Petion, Executive Director, Rebirth Inc.
• Moderator: Dr. Devlon Jackson, Horowitz Center for Health Literacy, Department of Behavioral and Community Health

12:30 - 1:00 PM     Lunch 

1:00 - 1:45 PM       Maryland Plain Language Checklist & Web Review Tool

• Dr. Cynthia Baur

1:45 - 2:30 PM     Panel Discussion: Community Health Workers and Information Sharing

• Tina Backe, Maryland Department of Health
• Kimberly Hiner, Maryland Department of Health
• Miu Stieve, Horowitz Center for Health Literacy
• Moderator: Karla Clara Vega, Horowitz Center for Health Literacy

    
2:30 - 3:00 PM     What did we learn? What else do we need to learn and do? What are the unique information and communication needs of the eastern shore counties?

• Dr. Cynthia Baur
   

3:00 PM        End

Click the links below to watch recordings of the Eastern Shore Convening.

Morning Sessions

Afternoon Sessions

Tina Backe

Coordinator, Community Health Worker Program

Tina Backe is the Coordinator of the Community Health Worker (CHW) Program at the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), Office of Population Health Improvement (OPHI). She manages the CHW certification and training program accreditation processes, and staffs the State CHW Advisory Committee. Tina has served in other roles at OPHI before happily joining the CHW team in 2020. Previously, she coordinated a State Health Insurance Assistance Program for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in Carroll County. She has graduate degrees in Biology and Education from San Francisco State University.

Susanne Forno

Digital Media Specialist, Maryland Insurance Administration

Susanne Forno serves as Digital Media Specialist for the Maryland Insurance Administration, the state agency that regulates the insurance industry. In her role she manages their social media platforms, produces their consumer monthly emails, chairs the Spirit Committee, and more. Prior to joining the agency in June 2022, she spent three years in a similar role with the Maryland Department of Aging. For nearly a decade, she has focused on social media, working with several Maryland nonprofit organizations. Her skill set includes graphic design, website management, photography, and mass email communications. Susanne holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Corporate Communications from the University of Baltimore.

Keri Grant

Tech Extension Educator

Keri is a Tech Extension Educator at the University of Maryland Extension office. She provides digital education for Talbot, Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester counties. Examples include lessons on QR codes, using your smartphone, and chromebook workshops. She also assists with signups for the Affordable Connectivity Program, saving money for community members on their monthly internet bill. The goal of her program is to bridge the digital divide by increasing access to the internet and skills required to take full advantage of the resources available. 

She earned a bachelors in Plant Sciences in 2017 and a Masters in Business Administration in 2022, both from the University of Maryland. Previous to her current position, she spent four years as a Nutrient Management Advisor for Wicomico County and 2 years working for Howard County Recreation and Parks.

Habacuc Petion

Executive Director, Rebirth Inc.

Mr. Habacuc Petion is Executive Director of Rebirth Inc. Rebirth is a nonprofit organization based in Salisbury, MD. Mr Petion founded Rebirth more than 20 years ago (2002) to empower, sustain & enrich his community. Rebirth’s mission is to advocate for the rights & facilitate resources for the vulnerable & immigrant workers on the Delmarva Peninsula. Their work focuses on education, communication, community outreach and development. Two of Rebirth’s community-focused programs are its after-school program for children and radio station WRBY OASIS (100.5FM) which provides information, education and entertainment to immigrants and minorities in the Haitian, Afro-American and Latino communities.

Apichaya (Miu) Stieve

Faculty Assistant, Horowitz Center for Health Literacy; Maryland Certified Community Health Worker

Miu is a Maryland certified community health worker, and the Horowitz Center’s community liaison for the Lifting All Voices project in Frederick, Maryland. A native of Surin, Thailand, Miu blends her expertise in cross-cultural communication with a plain language approach to ensure that all community members have access to clear, accurate, actionable health information.

Together with CRISP and the Maryland Health Care Commission, the Hub welcomed Cindy Brach, MPP, to discuss how using health literacy tools improves patient satisfaction and health outcomes. Ms. Brach's presentation looked back and forward at how health literacy insights and tools inform the ways we implement healthcare quality and safety initiatives.

Health Literacy Tools

Webinar Recording - Health Literacy Tools

Cindy Brach, MPP is a Senior Healthcare Researcher at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). She leads AHRQ’s health literacy activities, is the Co-Chair of the HHS Health Literacy Work Group, and serves on the Healthy People Health Communication and Health Information Workgroup. Tools that Cindy has generated, such as the AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit, Making Informed Consent an Informed Choice: Training Modules for Health Care Leaders and Professionals, and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) are used to make health information easier to understand and act on and healthcare services easier to access. Cindy served on the National Academy of Medicine’s Roundtable on Health Literacy, where she led an effort to define the ten attributes of a health literate organization and was a founding Editorial Board member of the journal HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice.

Cindy is also AHRQ’s point person for cultural and linguistic competence and served on the HHS Language Access Steering Committee. She also served on the original Advisory Group for National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) as well as the National Project Advisory Committee to enhance the National CLAS Standards. Cindy is a frequent speaker at national conferences and webinars, and has published book chapters, blogs, and authored or contributed to over 80 publications in journals.

At 11:00 am on October 4, 2023, Dr. Cynthia Baur opened the inaugural Maryland  Consumer Health Information Hub (“Hub”) Convening, welcoming attendees from state and local agencies and organizations to a day of learning, sharing, and collaboration. Dr. Baur began by describing the Hub’s origin and purpose, and highlighting some of its products and services. Dr. Sandra Saperstein described the evaluation process Sharp Insights will use to describe what the Hub does, how well they do it, and what difference the Hub makes to partners, partner organizations, and Marylanders overall.

A morning panel discussion addressed state and local organizations’ challenges and opportunities for plain language public health information. John Corbin discussed health literacy issues and initiatives for various populations in Garrett County, Maryland. Susanne Forno shared social media strategies and activities at the Maryland Insurance Administration. Vishnupriya Desai presented the Marylanders Online internet access and digital navigators program. Dr. Devlon Jackson moderated the discussion, offering panelists the opportunity to share success stories, describe how they reach underserved and marginalized populations with plain language health information, and expand on how they learn from their community members about needs and preferences around health information.

Following lunch, a second panel discussion highlighted the role of community health workers (CHWs) as key information resources and messengers. Tina Backe described Maryland’s CHW certification programs and highlighted several projects that leverage CHWs’ unique role in the community to improve health outcomes for those they serve. Miu Stieve provided a CHW’s perspective on cultural responsiveness and the role of health literacy in CHWs’ daily work. Moderator Karla Clara Vega invited panelists to share examples of CHWs bridging cultural and linguistic gaps in communication, and to offer policymakers advice on how they can support the role of CHWs in addressing public health issues.

Hands-on sessions focused on plain language and communications planning. Attendees explored the Maryland Clear Writing and Plain Language Checklist and applied the criteria to actual public health informational materials. A separate session introduced attendees to the CDC’s Communication Plan outline, and invited them to think through the steps as they apply to their own daily work. 
 

Agenda

• 10:30 - 11:00 AM           Registration and networking
• 11:00 - 11:10 AM           Welcome  
• 11:10 - 11:30 AM           What is the Maryland Consumer Health Information Hub?  
• 11:30 - 12:10 PM          State and local organizations panel on challenges and opportunities for public information   
• 12:10 - 12:40 PM          Lunch on your own
• 12:40 - 1:40 PM            Maryland plain language checklist, language access resources, and website review methods 
• 1:40 - 2:00 PM              Community health workers and information sharing ​​​​​​
• 2:00 - 2:45 PM              Developing a basic communications plan
• 2:45 - 3:00 PM              What did we learn? What else do we need to learn and do? 
• 3:00 PM                          End 

Tina Backe
Coordinator, Community Health Worker Program

Tina Backe is the Coordinator of the Community Health Worker (CHW) Program at the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), Office of Population Health Improvement (OPHI). She manages the CHW certification and training program accreditation processes, and staffs the State CHW Advisory Committee. Tina has served in other roles at OPHI before happily joining the CHW team in 2020. Previously, she coordinated a State Health Insurance Assistance Program for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in Carroll County. She has graduate degrees in Biology and Education from San Francisco State University.

John Corbin (he/him)
Informatics Administrator, Garrett County Health Department

As the Informatics Administrator at the Garrett County Health Department, John Corbin is dedicated to harnessing data-driven insights and cutting-edge technological solutions for tackling public health challenges and elevating community well-being. Drawing from his diverse background in data and computer sciences, mathematics, finance, and marketing, John has developed practical solutions to tackle health equity through the dynamic lenses of data and communications, specifically tailored to Garrett County and the north-central Appalachian region. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Marketing from Frostburg State University, John continues to actively pursue ongoing educational opportunities to expand his skill set and further empower his mission to improve public health outcomes through the development of emerging and model practices. John’s work has significantly contributed to tracking public health measures and outcomes, fostering open-source collaboration, and developing a data-driven and informed approach to addressing health equity in Garrett County.
 

Vishnupriya Desai
Program Manager, Digital Navigation Program 

Vishnupriya Desai joins the University of Maryland Extension as a Program Manager in November 2023. Her professional background is in Computer Science & Engineering and has her B.S. in Management of Aging Services from UMBC. In her previous position as a Digital Inclusion Coordinator, she helped close the digital divide by serving the technology needs of seniors in Baltimore County. With great enthusiasm, she looks forward to bringing digital equity to Maryland.

Susanne Forno
Digital Media Specialist, Maryland Insurance Administration

Susanne Forno serves as Digital Media Specialist for the Maryland Insurance Administration, the state agency that regulates the insurance industry. In her role she manages their social media platforms, produces their consumer monthly emails, chairs the Spirit Committee, and more. Prior to joining the agency in June 2022, she spent three years in a similar role with the Maryland Department of Aging. For nearly a decade, she has focused on social media, working with several Maryland nonprofit organizations. Her skill set includes graphic design, website management, photography, and mass email communications. Susanne holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Corporate Communications from the University of Baltimore.

Apichaya Stieve
Faculty Assistant, Horowitz Center for Health Literacy

Apichaya or Miu Stieve is currently working with Horowitz Center for Health Literacy as a community health worker/a community liaison for the "Lifting All Voices" project in Frederick, MD.

See our Flickr album for photos from the event!