About the San Antonio Health Literacy Initiative:
S.A.H.L.I. is a comprehensive program that aims to increase health literacy awareness and efficacy through strategically addressing primary gaps in health literacy today by:
(1) Providing local and relevant information as to what health literacy means and how it applies to daily life activities and health awareness
(2) Modifying provider pract
ices to ensure proper and effective patient-health provider communication histories
(3) Instituting cultural change towards health literacy through empowering patients and health providers to participate in a more health literate society. The individuals found to be at most risk for poor health literacy include the economically poor, elderly, those who did not speak English before starting school, those with limited education, and those with physical or mental disabilities. These individuals are frequently members of ethnic and/or cultural groups, incarcerated, homeless and those with limited access to health care. Description of the SAHLI Health Collaborative:
The San Antonio Health Literacy Initiative is an initiative based on the collaborative efforts of multiple community partners. The SAHLI Health Collaborative is a group of volunteers from community-based organizations, healthcare settings, local colleges, and universities that are facilitated by the SAHLI. The purpose of the SAHLI Health Collaborative is to act as a county-wide expert roundtable in health literacy, which functions by bringing together representatives from various entities, both public and private, to share their experiences and possible solutions in addressing low health literacy in San Antonio. The SAHLI membership currently represents organizations including the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Community First Health Plans, University Health System, San Antonio Food Bank, Daughters of Charity, the Health Collaborative, Edgewood Family Network, University of the Incarnate Word, Community Resources LLC, Well-Med Medical Management, San Antonio Department of Community Initiatives, and others.
