Daytona Beach, FL – A 1-year, $5,000 grant has been given to Daytona State College (DSC) to fund a health literacy program that supports students in the Adult Education and English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs.
The Florida Blue Foundation and the Florida Literacy Coalition provided DSC the grant with the hope of helping DSC students get literacy skills, knowledge and resources on their health. The grant will help these students make decisions on their lifestyles and medical situations and help them to understand the healthcare system.
The National Assessment of Adult Literacy reveals that 14% of Americans do not know or understand basic health knowledge. This issue has been found to be common among adults who did not graduate high school and those whose 1st language is not English.
The Adult Education program at DSC helps 2,000 students every year graduate high school, earn their GED or improve English literacy through affordable, convenient, and quality means.
“There is growing evidence that having limited English language and literacy skills can have a significant negative impact on one’s health,” says Kathryn Clark, DSC’s ESOL Coordinator. “This grant will help the most at-risk in our area learn how to set achievable, realistic fitness goals and nutrition habits, and to more easily gain access to healthcare services.”
The $5,000 will help at least 60 students learn the Florida Literacy Coalition’s Staying Healthy curriculum during a two-week course. On and off campus ESOL and Adult Education students will participate. 40 students will also complete CPR training to receive their certification.
Through the grant, first aid kits, as well as several other healthcare products, will be distributed to students living in rural areas impacted by poverty. Bus passes will be given to students with issues having reliable transportation to help them get access to healthcare.
“The support of this initiative reflects Florida Blue’s commitment to helping adult learners, many of whom are new to this country, become informed health advocates for themselves and their families,” says the executive director of Florida Literacy Coalition, Greg Smith. “We look forward to working with Daytona State College to raise awareness about health literacy.”
Photo of DSC's Kathryn Clark (middle), Florida Blue's Michelle Hamilton (right) and Florida Literacy Coalition's Greg Smith (left) courtesy of DSC.
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.
