Community Health Plan Research Articles

Strategies for coping with postmenopausal health problems among women in Egbu Community Owerri North Imo State

This study explores the strategies used by postmenopausal women in Egbu Community, Owerri North, Imo State, Nigeria, to cope with health problems associated with menopause. Menopause, a significant life stage, is often accompanied by various physical, emotional, and mental health challenges, such as hot flashes, painful sexual intercourse, depression, and memory loss. These challenges are exacerbated by socio-cultural factors, limited healthcare infrastructure, and a lack of awareness and education about menopause, particularly in rural communities like Egbu. The study adopts a descriptive cross-sectional design and utilizes a self-structured questionnaire to collect data from 150 postmenopausal women. The findings reveal that the most common physical problem is painful sexual intercourse, while mental depression is the predominant emotional and mental issue. Coping strategies employed by these women include engaging in moderate exercise, seeking medical advice, and maintaining adequate rest and sleep. However, poor education, lifestyle factors, and religious beliefs significantly influence the effectiveness of these coping strategies.The study concludes that while some coping strategies are effective, there is a need for targeted interventions to improve awareness, education, and access to healthcare services. These interventions should be culturally sensitive and designed to empower women, enhance their quality of life, and reduce the stigma surrounding menopause. The study's findings are crucial for informing community health planning and policy development to better support postmenopausal women in rural areas.

Inclusion of People With Disabilities in Community Health Needs Assessments in Florida, United States.

Community health needs assessments (CHNAs) play a crucial role in identifying health needs of communities. Yet, unique health needs of people with disabilities (PWDs) are often underrecognized in public health practice. In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) required the implementation of standardized data collection guidelines, including disability status, among federal agencies. The extent to which guidance from ACA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has impacted disability inclusion in CHNAs is unknown. This study used a content analysis approach to review CHNAs conducted by local health councils and the top 11 nonprofit hospitals in Florida (n = 77). We coded CHNAs based on mentioning disability in CHNA reports, involving disability-related stakeholders, and incorporating data on disability indicators. Findings indicate that PWDs are widely not included in CHNAs in Florida, emphasizing the need for equitable representation and comprehensive understanding of PWDs in community health planning.

Examining alignment of community health teams' preferences for health, equity, and spending with state all-payer waiver priorities: A discrete choice experiment.

The state of Vermont has a statewide waiver from the centers for medicare and medicaid services to allow all-payer Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). The Vermont all-payer model (VAPM) waiver is layered upon previous reforms establishing regional community health teams (CHTs) and medical homes. The waiver is intended to incentivize healthcare value and quality and create alignment between health system payers, providers, and CHTs. The objective of this study was to examine CHT's trade-offs and preferences for health, equity, and spending and the alignment with VAPM priorities. Data were gathered from a survey and discrete choice experiment among CHT leadership and CHT team members of the 13 CHTs in Vermont. We used conditional logit models to model the choice as a function of its characteristics (attributes) and mixed logit models to analyze whether preferences for programs varied by persons and roles within CHTs. There were 60 respondents who completed the survey online with 14 choice tasks, with three program options in each task, for a total sample size of 2520. We found that CHTs prioritized programs in the community health plan and those with quantitative evidence of effectiveness. They were less likely to choose either programs targeting racial and ethnic minorities or programs having a small effect on a large population. Preferences did not vary across individual or community attributes. Program priorities of the VAPM, especially healthcare spending, were not prioritized. The results suggest that the new VAPM does not automatically create system alignment: CHTs tended to prioritize local needs and voices. The statewide priorities are less important to CHTs, which have excellent internal alignment. This creates potential disconnection between state and community health goals. However, CHTs and the VAPM prioritize similar populations, indicating an opportunity to increase alignment by allowing flexible programs tailored to local needs. CHTs also prioritized programs with a strong evidence base, suggesting another potential avenue to create system alignment.

Abstract 18081: Using Evidence-Based Strategies, Including Coverage of Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation, to Increase Participation in Cardiac Rehabilitation - A Community Health Plan’s Experience

Introduction: Barriers to referral, enrollment and participation in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) contribute to low rates of completion despite known benefits. Barriers are system, provider and patient related. We sought to examine the impact a non-integrated community health plan can have on addressing these barriers, given the absence of formal studies evaluating its impact. Hypothesis: Implementing evidence-based strategies would increase CR participation. Methods: Between October 2019-October 2022, The Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan (CDPHP) developed and implemented an enhanced cardiac rehabilitation initiative (ECRI) to increase CR rates using evidence-based strategies. CDPHP: 1) eliminated patient cost-share, 2) covered home-based cardiac rehabilitation (HBCR), 3) implemented physician valued-based incentives, 4) presented metrics to providers, 5) educated providers and patients, and 6) dedicated staff to facilitating enrollment. CR rates were evaluated between Q2 2021 and Q2 2022. Results: Time from ECRI program conception to implementation was 18 months. Enrollment in HBCR went from 4% (19/485) (Q2, 2021) to 7.8% (33/422) (Q2, 2022). Enrollment in center-based cardiac rehab (CBCR) went from 11% (53/485) to 11.4% (48/422) respectively. Total enrollment in CR increased from 14.8% (72/485) to 19.2% (81/422). Conclusions: The ECRI created a call-to-action among providers to address modifiable barriers such as patient identification for CR and referral and enrollment processes. The introduction of HBCR increased CR rates and were additive to CBCR rates, suggesting the introduction of HBCR can increase CR rates and not displace CBCR. Increasing CR engagement and amplifying the results found in this demonstration, requires coordinated effort from all stakeholders-cardiology providers, hospitals, CR providers and health plans.

Calculating the Costs of Implementing Integrated Packages of Community Health Services: Methods, Experiences, and Results From 6 sub-Saharan African Countries.

Ensuring access to a package of integrated primary health care services is essential for achieving universal health coverage. In many countries, community health programs are necessary for primary health care service provision, but they are generally underfunded, and countries often lack the necessary evidence on costs and resource requirements. We conducted prospective cost analyses of community health programs in 6 countries in sub-Saharan Africa using the Community Health Planning and Costing Tool. The Community Health Planning and Costing Tool is a spreadsheet-based tool designed to cost key programmatic elements of community health services packages, including training, equipment, incentives, supervision, and management. In each country, stakeholders defined a package of community health services and corresponding standard treatment guidelines to estimate normative costs, which were applied to program scale-up targets. The data were entered into the tool, and cost models were prepared for different geographical and service utilization scenarios. The results were reviewed and validated with the governments, implementing partners, and expert panels. Additional scale-up scenarios were modeled, taking into account probable constraints to increasing community health service provision and potential funding limitations. The services and scope of community health service packages varied by country, depending on contextual factors and determined health priorities. The package costs also varied significantly depending on the size and contents of the service package, the service delivery approach, the remuneration of the community health workers, and the cost of medicines and supplies. Community health programs and service packages are different in every country and change over time as they evolve. They should be routinely costed as an integral part of the planning and budgeting process and to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated for their effective and efficient implementation.

Facilitating rural access to quality health information through Little Free Libraries

Background: In 2020 the Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL) at the University of Florida collaborated with the Okeechobee County Public library (OCPL) on their plan to install Little Free Libraries (LFLs) within their community. It was agreed that the HSCL would provide consumer health-related materials for the Little Free Libraries and training with the goal of improving health literacy, precision medicine, and increasing rural access to consumer health materials and services. Case Presentation: Using census data, the County Health Improvement Plan, and OCPL circulation data the team identified minority population groups, potential accessibility issues, and local consumer health information needs and barriers to select appropriate resources. Additionally, partnerships were created with the local Health Department, Parks and Recreation services, the Rotary Club, and other local organizations to make the project a success. A total of 424 books were selected for the LFLs and 40 unique online resources were selected, printed, and shipped to OCPL to be used during LFL reference sessions. Technology was purchased to assist OCPL with their planned community health reference outreach sessions. HSCL created and provided online training on facilitating consumer health outreach, conducting health information reference services, and promoting community engagement for OCPL. Discussion: LFLs have become an important resource for lower-income rural families in Okeechobee. There are 7 LFLs in Okeechobee County, with a goal of eventually establishing 15 total to provide vital health resources and books. Over 2,456 items have been circulated among the 7 LFLs since May 2020. Overall, the project has been successful with positive feedback received from the community and with OCPL planning to continue to expand the project.

Associations between county-level public health expenditures and community health planning activities with COVID-19 incidence and mortality

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed consequences of past defunding of the U.S. public health system, but the extent to which public health infrastructure is associated with COVID-19 burden is unknown. We aimed to determine whether previous county-level public health expenditures and community health planning activities are associated with COVID-19 cases and deaths. We examined 3050 of 3143 U.S. counties and county equivalents from March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2022. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression and generalized additive models were used to estimate associations between county-level public health expenditures and completion of community health planning activities by a county health department with outcomes of county-level COVID-19 cases and deaths per 100,000 population.After adjusting for county-level covariates, counties in the highest tertile of public health expenditures per capita had on average 542 fewer COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population (95% CI, −1004 to −81) and 21 fewer deaths per 100,000 population (95% CI, –32 to −10) than counties in the lowest tertile. For analyses of community health planning activities, adjusted estimates of association remained negative for COVID-19 deaths, but confidence intervals included negative and positive values. In conclusion, higher levels of local public health expenditures and community health planning activities were associated with fewer county-level COVID-19 deaths, and to a lesser extent, cases. Future public health funding should be aligned with evidence for the value of county health departments programs and explore further which types of spending are most cost effective.

Risk of Subsequent Breast Cancer in Women with Early Stage HER2-Positive Breast Cancer in a Large Community Health Plan.

Clinical outcomes have improved for women with early stage, HER2-positive breast cancer following the FDA approval of adjuvant trastuzumab use in 2006. However, only limited information exists on such patients' outcomes in real-world settings outside of clinical trials. We examined the risk of subsequent breast cancer in women with HER-2 positive disease, and the impact of trastuzumab use, in a large California community-based health plan. A cohort of 3550 women with HER2-positive breast cancer (stages I-III) from 2009-2017 were followed through December 2018. We calculated subsequent breast cancer (SBC) rates overall and by trastuzumab use. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to compute hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for SBC by trastuzumab use. Within the cohort diagnosed with HER2-positive disease, 81% received adjuvant trastuzumab. After 4.1 mean years follow-up (maximum 10 years), the risk of SBC was 22% lower with adjuvant trastuzumab use (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.66-0.92) compared with non-use. The cumulative incidence of SBC precipitously rose two years after diagnosis and by the 10th year, the cumulative incidence was 31% among those who had trastuzumab therapy versus 34% without this therapy. In community practice settings, the cumulative incidence of SBC in patients with early stage HER2-positive BC was 31% at 10 years in a cohort treated with adjuvant trastuzumab. Trastuzumab use was associated with a 22% reduced risk of developing SBC. This residual disease burden suggests breast cancer outcomes may be improved with further treatment given the advent of next-generation HER2-targeted therapies.

Community participation in health as an essential element for health system strengthening in the AmericasLa participación en salud como elemento indispensable para el fortalecimiento de los sistemas de atención de salud en las Américas

The present narrative review discusses the relevance and challenges of community participation in health for health system strengthening. Based on a definition of community participation in health as a dynamic process that gives people access and control over health resources through involvement and experience, the article summarizes information obtained from documents and debate at an international event (Seminario Internacional: Experiencias y Modelos de Participación en Salud en América Latina y el Caribe). In addition, the SciELO, PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched using the terms "community participation", "community engagement", "social control" and "community health planning" to identify national or transnational review and opinion articles. Community participation in health is a current concept, acknowledged in the recommendations for health policies described in recent documents and publications. Around the world, the number of studies on the subject is growing; however, in the Americas, three countries (United States, Canada and Brazil) accounted for most of the scientific publications identified in the databases. The studies address timely questions and show consensus among investigators within each individual research group. However, the area lacks exchanges and comparative analyses that contrast different experiences transcending national borders and expanding knowledge on community participation in health. The creation of more spaces for the sharing of experiences and research is advised, as well as the establishment of professional and research networks in the field of community participation in health.

Impact of Technology on Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Admissions and Length of Stay: A Retrospective Study.

Background Neonatal intensive care units (NICU) provide essential medical care to neonates; however, they are associated with hospital-acquired infections, less maternal-newborn bonding, and high costs.Implementing strategies to lower NICU admission rates and shorten NICU length of stay (LOS) is essential.This study uses causal-inference methods to evaluate the impact of care managers using new technology to identify and risk stratify pregnancies on NICU admissions and NICU LOS. The NICU LOS willdecreaseas a result of the use of new technology by care managers. Study design This retrospective study utilized delivery claims data of pregnant women from the CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Plan District of Columbia from 2013 to 2022, which includes the pre-intervention period before the use of new technology by care managers and the post-intervention period with the use of new technology by care managers.Our sample had 4,917 deliveries whose maternal comorbidities were matched with their neonate's outcomes. Methods To evaluate the impact of the technological intervention, both Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) and Bayesian Structural Time-Series (BSTS) models were used. Results Our findings from the GLM models suggest an overall average reduction in the odds of NICU admissions of 29.2% and an average decrease in NICU LOS from 7.5%-58.5%.Using BSTS models, we estimate counterfactuals for NICU admissions and NICU LOS, which suggest an average reduction in 48 NICU admissions and 528 NICU days per year. Conclusion Equipping care managers with better technological tools can lead to significant improvements in neonatal health outcomes as indicated by a reduction in NICU admissions and NICU LOS.

The Integration of Primary Care and Public Health in Medical Students' Training Based on Social Accountability and Community-Engaged Medical Education.

Objectives: Primary care and public health comprise the bedrock of health systems, but their divergence has produced two groups of practitioners either focused on individual health or population health. We explored how primary care and public health were integrated in medical students' training in Zamboanga Peninsula, Philippines. Methods: Our qualitative study reviewed community health plans in two municipalities and thematically analyzed the perspectives of medical students, faculty, alumni, and community stakeholders through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Results: Integration began by operationalizing a curriculum requiring medical students to serve rural communities during most of their training-a departure from the conventional, hospital-based medical education in the Philippines. The medical students' community immersion provided opportunities for integrating primary care and public health activities that influenced their personal orientations and the health situation in communities. Integration continued after training as alumni found themselves serving as primary care and public health practitioners in the region. Conclusion: Social accountability and community-engaged medical education provided the foundation for medical students to integrate primary care and public health in practice to respond to local needs.

Impact of patient-centered prescription medication labels on adherence in community pharmacy

BackgroundPrescription medication labels are often constructed in a manner which hinders safe and appropriate use of medicines. The United States Pharmacopeia released voluntary standards to revise medication labels in an effort to support patients’ understanding and improve medication use. ObjectiveTo examine the impact of label changes on medication adherence before and after pharmacy implementation of the United States Pharmacopeia patient-centered prescription medication label standards. MethodsThis study used a retrospective pre-post cohort design. Prescription fill claims data were obtained from a community health plan serving Medicaid patients for 1 independent community pharmacy organization across 8 retail pharmacy sites. We calculated medication possession ratios (MPR) and proportion of days covered (PDC) for medications used for contraception, asthma, hypertension, and depression from 15 months before to 13 months after implementation of the label changes. ResultsFindings showed significant increases in mean MPR for asthma controller (increased by 0.111 [t = 0.290, P<0.0001]), antihypertensives (increased by 0.062 [t = 0.146, P < 0.0002]), and contraceptives medications (increased 0.133 [t = 0.209, P < 0.0001]) from preintervention to postintervention periods. Results also revealed increases in mean PDC for asthma controllers (increased by 0.193 [t = 0.267, P < 0.0001]), antihypertensives (increased by 0.067 [t = 0.175, P = 0.049]), and contraceptives (increased by 0.111 [t = 0.208, P < 0.0119]) from preintervention to postintervention periods. ConclusionWe report an association between a change to more patient-centered prescription medication labels and increased medication adherence based on MPR and PDC among Medicaid recipients.

Kidney health for all: Bridging the gap in kidney health education and literacy

The high burden of kidney disease, global disparities in kidney care, and poor outcomes of kidney failure bring a concomitant growing burden to persons affected, their families, and carers, and the community at large. Health literacy is the degree to which persons and organizations have or equitably enable individuals to have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to make informed health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others. Rather than viewing health literacy as a patient deficit, improving health literacy largely rests with health-care providers communicating and educating effectively in codesigned partnership with those with kidney disease. For kidney policy makers, health literacy provides the imperative to shift organizations to a culture that places the person at the center of health care. The growing capability of and access to technology provides new opportunities to enhance education and awareness of kidney disease for all stakeholders. Advances in telecommunication, including social media platforms, can be leveraged to enhance persons’ and providers’ education; The World Kidney Day declares 2022 as the year of “Kidney Health for All” to promote global teamwork in advancing strategies in bridging the gap in kidney health education and literacy. Kidney organizations should work toward shifting the patient-deficit health literacy narrative to that of being the responsibility of health-care providers and health policy makers. By engaging in and supporting kidney health-centered policy making, community health planning, and health literacy approaches for all, the kidney communities strive to prevent kidney diseases and enable living well with kidney disease.

Assessing Community-Based Public Health Plans: An Example From US Army Injury Prevention.

The US Army requires community health coalitions to develop action plans for their top public health priorities. To date, the US Army has not implemented a standardized review process for community action plans. This project used the Plan Quality Index (PQI), an evidence-based, standardized tool, to evaluate injury prevention action plans created by injury prevention teams (IPTs). 17 Army installations. 17 IPT leads; 5 Health Promotion Program Officers. Implementation of the PQI to evaluate the strength of injury prevention action plans and make recommendations for quality improvement to drive reductions in injuries at 17 Army installations. PQI total scores for high- (≥50 points on the PQI) and low-ranking plans (<50 points on the PQI) were assessed for differences using t tests of the mean PQI score. Chi-square tests were employed to identify differences in meeting criteria between high- and low-scoring plans. PQI total scores ranged from 9 to 78 points out of 80. The weakest planning elements among all plans were lack of use of SMART objectives (18%), lack of identification of responsible parties (18%), absent evaluation plan (24%), and lack of timelines (35%). The mean score for the high-ranking plans (64.6 ± 9.5) was significantly higher than the mean score for the low-ranking plans (26.2 ± 12.7) ( P < .001). Mean scores for clarity, effectiveness, and quality were all significantly higher for the high-ranking plans than for the low-ranking plans ( P = .014, P = .002, and P < .001, respectively). The PQI tool provides a framework for objective, standardized, and evidence-based feedback and recommendations for improving community health plans. The project identified examples of high-quality action plans and provided actionable recommendations for plan improvement to facilitate sustainability of initiatives addressing injuries, which have long posed a threat to military health and readiness.

An mHealth-Based Health Management Information System Among Health Workers in Volta and Eastern Regions of Ghana: Pre-Post Comparison Analysis.

BackgroundDespite the increasing attention to electronic health management information systems (HMISs) in global health, most African countries still depend on inefficient paper-based systems. Good Neighbors International and Evaluate 4 Health have recently supported the Ghana Health Service on the rollout of a mobile health–based HMIS called the e-Tracker system in 2 regions in Ghana. The e-Tracker is an Android-based tracker capture app that electronically manages maternal and child health (MCH) data. The Ghana Health Service has implemented this new system in Community Health Planning and Services in the 2 regions (Volta and Eastern).ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate changes in health workers’ capacity and behavior after using the e-Tracker to deliver MCH services. Specifically, the study assesses the changes in knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of the health workers toward the e-Tracker system by comparing the pre- and postsurvey results.MethodsThe KAP of frontline health workers was measured through self-administered surveys before and after using the e-Tracker system to assess their capacity and behavioral change toward the system. A total of 1124 health workers from the Volta and Eastern regions responded to the pre-post surveys. This study conducted the McNemar chi-square test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test for a pre-post comparison analysis. In addition, random-effects ordered logistic regression analysis and random-effects panel analysis were conducted to identify factors associated with KAP level.ResultsThe pre-post comparison analysis showed significant improvement in health workers’ capacity, with higher knowledge and practice levels after using the e-Tracker system. As for knowledge, there was a 9.9%-point increase (from 559/1109, 50.41% to 669/1109, 60.32%) in the proportion of the respondents who were able to generate basic statistics on the number of children born in a random month within 30 minutes. In the practice section, the percentage of respondents who had scheduled client encounters increased from 91.41% (968/1059) to 97.83% (1036/1059). By contrast, responses to the attitude (acceptability) became less favorable after experiencing the actual system. For instance, 48.53% (544/1121) initially expressed their preferences for an electronic system; however, the proportion decreased to 33.45% (375/1121) after the intervention. Random-effects ordered logistic regression showed that days of overwork were significantly associated with health workers’ attitudes toward the e-Tracker system.ConclusionsThis study provides empirical evidence that the e-Tracker system is conducive to enhancing capacity in MCH data management for providing necessary MCH services. However, the change in attitude implies that the users appear to feel less comfortable using the new system. As Ghana plans to scale up the electronic HMIS system using the e-Tracker to the national level, strategies to enhance health workers’ attitudes are necessary to sustain this new system.

A nomogram for predicting endometrial cancer risk in asymptomatic women: Addressing disparities in patient populations with limited access and delayed diagnosis (425)

A nomogram for predicting endometrial cancer risk in asymptomatic women: Addressing disparities in patient populations with limited access and delayed diagnosis (425)

Survey of Pharmacists' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) concerning COVID-19 Infection Control after Being Involved in Vaccine Preparation: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Vaccination is crucial for preventing the spread of COVID-19. Vaccination for COVID-19 was implemented in Japan in community units, and community pharmacists were engaged in vaccine preparation. Capturing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of pharmacists regarding COVID-19 infection control is important for developing future community health action strategies and plans. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 141 pharmacists who were members of a pharmacist association in the Shinagawa Ward of Tokyo (1–31 July 2021) using a Google online questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic information and KAP questions regarding COVID-19. A correlation test was used for analyzing KAP scores. Significant correlations were found among all KAP scores. Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed “age” as a significant knowledge factor and “marriage”, “pharmacist careers”, “information source: official government website”, and “information source: word of mouth from family and friends” as significant attitude factors. Good KAP scores were recorded in this study, indicating increased comprehension of infection control measures and increased knowledge scores, as pharmacy pharmacists were practically involved in COVID-19 infection control measures through vaccine preparation. Policymakers should understand the value of pharmacists as healthcare professionals and should enhance public health through the effective use of pharmacists.

KIDNEY HEALTH FOR ALL: BRIDGING THE GAP IN KIDNEY HEALTH EDUCATION AND LITERACY

The high burden of kidney disease, global disparities in kidney care, and poor outcomes of kidney failure bring a concomitant growing burden to persons affected, their families, and carers, and the community at large. Health literacy is the degree to which persons and organizations have or equitably enable individuals to have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to make informed health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others. Rather than viewing health literacy as a patient deficit, improving health literacy largely rests with health care providers communicating and educating effectively in codesigned partnership with those with kidney disease. For kidney policy makers, health literacy provides the imperative to shift organizations to a culture that places the person at the center of health care. The growing capability of and access to technology provides new opportunities to enhance education and awareness of kidney disease for all stakeholders. Advances in telecommunication, including social media platforms, can be leveraged to enhance persons’ and providers’ education; The World Kidney Day declares 2022 as the year of “Kidney Health for All” to promote global teamwork in advancing strategies in bridging the gap in kidney health education and literacy. Kidney organizations should work toward shifting the patient-deficit health literacy narrative to that of being the responsibility of health care providers and health policy makers. By engaging in and supporting kidney health–centered policy making, community health planning, and health literacy approaches for all, the kidney communities strive to prevent kidney diseases and enable living well with kidney disease.

Kidney health for all: bridging the gap in kidney health education and literacy

The high burden of kidney disease, global disparities in kidney care, and poor outcomes of kidney failure bring a concomitant growing burden to persons affected, their families, and careers, and the community at large. Health literacy is the degree to which persons and organizations have or equitably enable individuals to have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to make informed health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others. Rather than viewing health literacy as a patient deficit, improving health literacy largely rests with health care providers communicating and educating effectively in codesigned partnership with those with kidney disease. For kidney policy makers, health literacy provides the imperative to shift organizations to a culture that places the person at the center of health care. The growing capability of and access to technology provides new opportunities to enhance education and awareness of kidney disease for all stakeholders. Advances in telecommunication, including social media platforms, can be leveraged to enhance persons’ and providers’ education; The World Kidney Day declares 2022 as the year of “Kidney Health for All” to promote global teamwork in advancing strategies in bridging the gap in kidney health education and literacy. Kidney organizations should work toward shifting the patient-deficit health literacy narrative to that of being the responsibility of health care providers and health policy makers. By engaging in and supporting kidney health–centered policy making, community health planning, and health literacy approaches for all, the kidney communities strive to prevent kidney diseases and enable living well with kidney disease.

Exploring Models for Youth Engagement in Community Health Planning: The Youth-led Community Health Learning Initiative

Exploring Models for Youth Engagement in Community Health Planning: The Youth-led Community Health Learning Initiative