Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signs an Executive Order establishing the Health Literacy Partnership of Alabama in his office at the State Capitol in Montgomery on Wednesday, April 20, 2016. UAB faculty members Conan Davis, Ann Gakumo and Joy Deupree are at left. (Photo courtesy of the Governor's Office.)Gov. Robert Bentley announced April 26 that he had signed an executive order establishing the Health Literacy Partnership of Alabama.
The Health Literacy Partnership of Alabama, created by Executive Order 18, will recommend to the governor ways to improve the health literacy of Alabamians. Recommendations may take the form of regulatory or statutory changes, with initial recommendations due before the start of the 2017 regular session of the Alabama Legislature.
“It is vitally important that people understand their health care needs and how they are treated. This reduces chronic illness and in turn lowers overall health care costs,” Bentley said. “This partnership is important to providing the resources needed by the people of Alabama to ensure they know how to properly seek treatment for any health issues they may have.”
Joy Deupree, an assistant professor in the UAB School of Nursing and Robert Wood Johnson executive nurse fellow, will chair the Partnership.
“From diagnosis to medication management and discharge instructions, patients are at risk for poor outcomes because they often do not understand how to use the information," Deupree said. “The support of the governor to establish a meaningful initiative to address health literacy disparities in Alabama is an important development for the health and economic future of our state. I am deeply grateful for his commitment to improve health care outcomes in our state.”
The Partnership comprises members from health care-focused agencies and organizations across Alabama, including four other UAB faculty members:
- Nancy E. Dunlap, M.D., professor emerita of medicine
- Conan Davis, DMD, assistant dean for Community Collaborations and Public Health, UAB School of Dentistry
- C. Ann Gakumo, assistant professor, UAB School of Nursing; Robert Wood Johnson nurse faculty scholar
- Kathleen Ladner, adjunct associate professor at UAB School of Nursing