SHINE-MetLife Foundation Health Literacy Initiative

The Project SHINE-MetLife Foundation Health Literacy Initiative builds partnerships among universities and community based-organizations nationally to address the health literacy needs of elderly immigrants and refugees. This initiative is funded by a generous grant from the MetLife Foundation, and the project endeavors to:

• Increase the ability of elder immigrants to communicate with health care providers and access health care;
• Increase opportunities for college students from diverse backgrounds to learn about and address the health literacy needs of immigrant elders;
• Increase the cultural competency of future health care professionals;
• Develop culturally appropriate health literacy curriculum geared to the literacy abilities of elder immigrants and;
• Build the capacity of university students, ESL instructors and adult education administrators serving immigrant elders to incorporate health literacy topics into their classes and educational programs.

Resources for Teaching

In order to help ESL learners communicate with healthcare providers and learn more about staying healthy, SHINE created ESL health units which can be used by tutors and teachers. The units offer content about health topics, such as dealing with emergencies and managing health problems, along with listening, discussion, reading, and writing activities.

Email Us for General Information

For more information about the SHINE-MetLife Foundation Health Literacy Initiative or the Health Literacy Units, please go to the website listed above or contact:

Amy Olivia Carlson, Project SHINE AmeriCorps VISTA
(650) 387-8045