Healthcare Access for All

Health care access

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Low health literacy is a critical barrier to equitable healthcare access and positive health outcomes. Research demonstrates that individuals with limited health literacy are significantly more likely to delay or forgo necessary medical care, struggle to find appropriate providers, and have difficulty understanding health information and instructions (Levy & Janke, 2016). This not only impacts timely entry into the healthcare system but also hinders effective self-management of chronic conditions, increases the likelihood of preventable hospitalizations, and contributes to higher healthcare costs. Furthermore, low health literacy can increase the risk of medical errors and deaths (250,000+ in the US annually, in John Hopkins 2016 study). These challenges disproportionately affect vulnerable and underserved communities, exacerbating existing health disparities.

Since 2022, our Healthcare Access program has empowered individuals by addressing low health literacy through a comprehensive, multi-modal initiative. This grant will support its expansion and enhancement.
Our content comprises 12 short videos (English https://tinyurl.com/4xwdz5wh Spanish https://tinyurl.com/bdepa847 Mandarin https://tinyurl.com/2jcedane )
Participants engage in a 3-month immersive program, receiving weekly emails/texts with videos, tests, and bi-monthly Patient Advocacy workshops and peer-to-peer online events. This immersive track will integrate incentivized gamification to boost motivation and engagement. We also offer content 'a la carte' for flexible learning.
A critical expansion is the integration of Community Health Workers (CHWs) who will lead workshops and online events, and provide vital 1-on-1 coaching for eligible participants, ensuring personalized support. Our program prioritizes accessibility, offering multilingual content (English, Spanish, Mandarin) with all materials culturally relevant and mobile-friendly. To further motivate participation, we incorporate a weekly engagement leaderboard, completion badges for videos, and health tracking bingo.
Independent evaluation of our patient advocacy workshops demonstrates significant impact: for example, 88% of participants reported 'somewhat' or 'much better' ability in navigating healthcare, 76% in self-advocacy, and 75% in finding credible information.

If successful, our work will transform Los Angeles County into a more health-literate and empowered population, especially within BIPOC, Chinese, and other underserved communities. This means increased proactive healthcare engagement, leading to earlier diagnosis and better management of chronic conditions. We anticipate fewer preventable hospitalizations and reduced instances of delayed care, as residents confidently navigate the system and understand their options. Improved health literacy will also foster better patient-provider communication, supporting shared decision-making and reducing disparities. Our vision is a community where individuals understand health information, advocate for themselves, and actively manage their well-being. The collective impact will be a healthier, more informed, and resilient Los Angeles County, with improved public health outcomes, less medical errors and deaths and greater healthcare equity for all.