Health Literacy

Feel Some Peace Again

Calm Amid the Chaos

March 17, 2020

Jerry Gulley

As if there wasn’t enough to be stressed about already — climate change, the economy, politics — now the coronavirus pandemic is sweeping the globe.

Fact is, there are always going to be a million reasons to feel anxious, coronavirus or not. But anxiety won’t help.

I know, it can be annoying to be told to calm down when you’re stressed. It’s true — optimism, mindfulness, and deep breaths won’t make the coronavirus go away.

But neither will freaking out about it.

So let’s take a minute. Breathe. Focus, for a moment, on what can help you deal with the stress, anxiety, and the fear of the unknown.

You can’t control what happens. But you can control what you do right now.

In fact, what you do right now is literally the only thing you have control over.

So what can you do? Take coronavirus seriously. But don’t be scared. Be prepared:

Wash your hands. This remains the single most important thing you can do. Wash your kids’ hands while you’re at it.
Don’t touch your face. Especially your eyes, nose, and mouth. That’s how germs get in.
Stay home if you can. Work from home if you are able.
Avoid crowds if you do leave the house.
Use telemedicine if you can — not just for COVID-19 questions but other health problems. Doctor’s offices and hospitals are overwhelmed right now.
Wash your clothes and (of course) your hands when you get home. Coronavirus can stay alive and active on surfaces and clothing for up to 3 days.
Limit contact between kids and those at high risk. It’s a relief that this particular pandemic doesn’t seem to hurt kids as much, but they are excellent disease-carriers — and they often don’t show signs of infection.
Stock up on dry goods, nonperishables, and medicines. Planning ahead means fewer trips to the store. But be considerate. Don’t hoard. There has to be enough for everyone.
Disinfect your phone every day. Cell phones can be germier than toilet seats, studies show.
Disinfect your laptop, keyboard, and computer mouse while you’re at it.
Keep your immune system strong. Practice healthy habits. Eat smart, take your meds and vitamins, get good sleep, and manage your stress level.
If you feel sick, avoid spreading germs. Call your doctor and follow their instructions.

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Jerry Gulley currently serves as EdLogics’ Chief Content Officer. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and has held positions with Cooking Light, Health, and AllRecipes.

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Health Literacy, Healthcare Basics

Coronavirus Update

What You Need to Know NOW!

March 10, 2020

Jerry Gulley

EdLogics is monitoring the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus) and we are frequently updating our content to help educate the public about this rapidly changing public health issue. There are still many unknowns about this virus, including how it spreads and how soon someone who has become infected will show symptoms.

The most important message for all of us is “don’t panic!” To help, our clinical and creative teams have created a clear guide to “What You Need to Know” about the virus.

Due to the urgent nature of this problem, we hope you will share it with all of your contacts.

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Jerry Gulley currently serves as EdLogics’ Chief Content Officer. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and has held positions with Cooking Light, Health, and AllRecipes.

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Health Literacy

Spreading the News About Healthier757

CoVaBiz Magazine Article Highlights Local Work to Increase Health Literacy and Save Money

February 18, 2020

Jerry Gulley

CoVaBiz Magazine (the business magazine of Coastal Virginia) recently published an article highlighting the work that Healthier757 is doing to increase health literacy locally.

Jim Spore, president and CEO of Reinvent Hampton Roads , explains why Healthier757 is critical to his goal – making CoVa” synonymous with “healthy.”

He goes on to share why addressing rising healthcare costs matters to Hampton Roads. “We all know healthcare costs are skyrocketing. We want to help businesses control that,” Spore shares. “Plus, a healthier workforce can mean a more productive workforce.”

EdLogics’ founder and CEO, Tom Chamberlain also shares his motivations for starting the company in the article. “When I worked as a pharmacist, I saw people not understanding their health,” he says. “I could give them a brochure. It had information, but not much. I didn’t know if they learned.”

Chamberlain shares some statistics from the platform’s user satisfaction surveys:

77% say the information presented was very informative.
75% say information presented covers topics they did not know about previously.
73% say they plan to use other resources on EdLogics to learn more about specific conditions.
81% of users say they will change their behavior based on the information presented.

Read the full article here and visit Healthier757 for more information.

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Jerry Gulley currently serves as EdLogics’ Chief Content Officer. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and has held positions with Cooking Light, Health, and AllRecipes.

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Health Literacy, Industry Events

Announcing: Healthier Hampton Roads

Initiative Will Foster Economic Development By Addressing Health Literacy

July 16, 2019

Jerry Gulley

EdLogics, Old Dominion University and Global Action Platform proudly announce Healthier Hampton Roads, a community-wide initiative.

The initiative is a partnership focused on transforming the way people learn about health and designed to increase health literacy, workforce productivity, and economic prosperity throughout Hampton Roads.

Governor Tommy Thompson, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and former Governor of Wisconsin, and Chairman of EdLogics is helping make the call to action: “Healthier Hampton Roads will be a multi-stakeholder, integrated, community-based program that bridges the work site, home, and community,” he said. “It will connect all of Hampton Roads through an interactive digital health platform that provides a vehicle for increasing awareness, communication, education, engagement, and behavior change.”

“Improving health literacy is a key requirement for achieving behavior change, reducing healthcare costs, and improving health outcomes,” said Thomas M. Chamberlain, PharmD, founder and CEO of EdLogics. “Achieving behavior change at a community level requires people and organizations coming together through collaborative coalitions involving corporations, municipalities, non-profit organizations, health systems, universities, school systems, faith-based institutions, foundations, and philanthropists. Such collaboration is a key goal for Healthier Hampton Roads.”

“In today’s highly competitive global economy, health is a key economic driver,” said Scott T. Massey, PhD, chairman and CEO of Global Action Platform. “Healthy citizens are more productive, more creative, and provide a competitive advantage for any regional economy dedicated to growth and shared prosperity. Global Action Platform is working with EdLogics as a strategic partner to launch Healthier Hampton Roads and help build a new national model that can be created first here, replicated in our headquarters city of Nashville, and then shared nationally.”

More information is available in the official press release.

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Jerry Gulley currently serves as EdLogics’ Chief Content Officer. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and has held positions with Cooking Light, Health, and AllRecipes.

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Health Insurance, Health Literacy

Do Workplace Wellness Programs Really Reduce Health Costs?

Do they really live up to the hype?

April 19, 2019

Jerry Gulley

Countless employers – an estimated 80% of large US employers – offer wellness programs for their employees. In fact, wellness programs are often touted as key employee benefits. The goals are simple: make employees healthier and health care costs will be reduced.

But new research questions if wellness programs actually do reduce health care costs. Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on April 19 was jointly conducted by Harvard and the University of Chicago.

The researchers randomly offered different wellness programs at various work sites and then tracked the results. Specifically, they offered new wellness programs at randomly selected locations of BJ’s Wholesale Clubs. Those results were compared to existing programs at other locations to identify any changes in individual behavior as well as any changes in the corporate culture.

The results showed some demonstrated behavior changes but little effect on other outcomes.

Behavior Changes Recorded at Sites Offering Wellness Programs:

8.3% higher rate of employees self-reporting engaging in regular exercise
13.6% higher rate of employees self-reporting managing their weight

Outcomes Showing No Significant Impacts Included:

Self-reported quality of sleep
Job performance and absenteeism
10 specific clinical health markers

Researchers noted that the field of studying wellness programs is still relatively new. Others have commented that 18 months might not be enough time to effectively measure the success/impact of wellness programs. Might it not take decades?

One of the coauthors of the study, Zirui Song, an assistant professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School’s Blavatnik Institute, stated her summary.

“As we grow to understand how best to encourage healthy behavior, it may be that workplace wellness programs will play an important role in improving health and lowering the cost of health care,” Song said. “For now, however, we should remain cautious about our expectations from such interventions. Rigorous research to measure the effects of such programs can help make sure we’re spending society’s health and wellness dollars in the most effective way.”

One missing variable is the role that education plays. Would behavior change absent of an increase in health literacy even be sustainable? Conversely, if employees better understand their personal health – how to properly use an asthma inhaler, for example – would behavior change persist longer?

We’ll be fielding these questions to several health literacy experts so check back for their responses.

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Jerry Gulley currently serves as EdLogics’ Chief Content Officer. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and has held positions with Cooking Light, Health, and AllRecipes.

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