Explore the Issues

Explore the Issues

Low health literacy is a complex and systemic challenge. Before we can achieve greater heathy equity, we need to understand how health literacy intersects with many other public health gaps.
Health Literacy for Health Equity is a person-centered initiative working to create a more equitable healthcare system by empowering people and communities to access, understand and use trusted health information from traditional and emerging sources.

Definitions

The degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others. (Source: CDC)

The degree to which organizations equitably enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others. (Source: CDC)

Health equity is the attainment of the highest level of health for all people. Today, communities including racial and ethnic minorities, sexual and gender minorities, individuals with disabilities and those living in rural areas experience a disproportionate share of acute and chronic diseases and adverse health outcomes. Achieving a more equitable health system requires removing or overcoming barriers to quality healthcare. (Source: AHIMA)

The ability of individuals and their caregivers to access, exchange, and use their health information is essential to managing their care. Enhancing individuals’ access to their health information could yield significant benefits, including improved patient outcomes and enhanced patient safety. (Source: AHIMA)

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The AHIMA Foundation has aggregated credible resources and tools for consumers and healthcare professionals to use for patient empowerment, activation, and engagement.

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Our Core Values

The AHIMA Foundation is committed to empowering and championing all people to become engaged and activated participants in their everyday health and wellness journeys.

Health information is a force for greater good.

We have a responsibility to unlock this potential for public benefit.

Power must be in the hands of consumers.

Consumers must be heard, and have agency to drive their own health journey and legacy of their information.

Serving the whole person, families, and communities.

For health information to become truly meaningful, it must transcend sick care and individual benefit.

Trust and technology are cornerstones to realize benefits of health information.

Cultivating trust is imperative to drive individual agency and public benefit.

Leadership and partnership across the health ecosystem is required.

A call to action to steward health information to deliver its potential as it flows from and through existing and new sources.