Our Mission
ClearHealth Initiative is a youth-led fiscally sponsored 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to improving health literacy. We empower individuals, especially young people, to understand medical information, communicate with healthcare providers, and advocate for their own health.
What is Health Literacy?
Health literacy is the ability to find, understand, and use health information to make informed decisions. It includes understanding prescriptions, knowing what questions to ask at appointments, and being able to evaluate health content online.
Why is Our Mission Important?
Low health literacy affects millions of people and leads to:
- Medication errors and missed appointments
- Poor health outcomes and delayed treatment
- Higher healthcare costs
- Vulnerability to health misinformation
By teaching people how to navigate the healthcare system, we can prevent confusion, improve communication, and ultimately save lives.
Why Health Literacy Education Is Needed
Adults struggle with health literacy, making it difficult to navigate prescriptions, treatment plans, and medical forms.
U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesMedical errors are among the leading causes of death in the U.S., many stemming from miscommunication and misunderstanding.
Johns Hopkins University / BMJLow health literacy costs the U.S. healthcare system due to preventable hospitalizations, medication errors, and inefficient care.
National Academy of MedicineOf health information found online is misleading or inaccurate, making it critical to teach source evaluation skills.
Journal of Medical Internet ResearchOur Approach: The CLEAR Method
We teach a simple, memorable framework for navigating healthcare:
Communicate
Communicate effectively with your healthcare providers to ensure your concerns are heard and understood.
Listen
Listen carefully to instructions, diagnoses, and recommendations from medical professionals.
Educate
Educate yourself about your health conditions, treatments, and the healthcare system.
Ask
Ask questions whenever something is unclear. There are no bad questions when it comes to your health.
Repeat
Repeat the process. Health literacy is an ongoing journey, not a one-time lesson.
- National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
- The Health Literacy of America's Adults: Results From the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. U.S. Department of Education, NCES 2006-483.
- Inadequate functional health literacy among patients at two public hospitals. JAMA. 1995;274(21):1677-82. PMC1117251
- Updating Health Literacy for Healthy People 2030. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2021. PMC7857950
- Introduction to Health Literacy. NNLM Public Health Resources. nnlm.gov