October is #HealthLiteracyMonth! Health literacy is the ability to find and understand health information and use it to make health decisions.

This year, DOH worked with Youth Voice volunteers to develop a social media campaign to raise awareness about health literacy among youth – including what it is and how it impacts health. Youth volunteers worked with DOH’s communications and social media teams to co-design and -create the social media messaging and graphics. And for the first time ever, DOH is on TikTok!

• Check out the new Health Literacy Information page at Health Literacy | Washington State Department of Health. The information on this webpage is available in 6 languages.
• Repost or share DOH’s (bilingual English and Spanish) weekly social media posts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and even TikTok (yes, we made videos – check them out here)
• Create and post your own social media messaging around health literacy using our content (we’ve attached some of our messaging and the graphics in a zip file) or make your own! Use the hashtag #HealthLiteracyMonth
• Share the following resources with young people and youth-serving partners:

Health Literacy | Washington State Department of Health

Health Care Rights for Youth (washington.edu)

Talking with your doctor: https://www.ahrq.gov/questions/10questions.html

Finding the right provider: https://health.gov/myhealthfinder

Got Transition® - Youth & Young Adults

To support the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the Washington Department of Health needs your help. In 2021, the state Legislature passed a law requiring them to develop standards for crisis call centers to become crisis call center hubs.

To help create these rules, DOH will host three listening sessions to hear from people who have used crisis call lines for themselves or for others, crisis call center staff, crisis responders, and others. DOH wants to learn how our rules related to 988 crisis call center hubs standards could affect you. They will also conduct two workshops to help write the rules.

Please read the Rulemaking for 988 Crisis Call Center Hubs flyer for more information on:

• 988 crisis call centers and call center hubs
• The set questions for each listening session
• Workshop objectives

Spanish rulemaking flyer and information 

Listening Session 1: Thursday, Nov. 3, 6-8 p.m.

Audience: People who called a crisis line for themselves

Substance Abuse Prevention Grant

Teach students how to:

Cope with stress and anxiety, build positive relationships, communicate effectively, and develop refusal skills to prevent and reduce substance use and abuse

Grant recipients receive funds for:

Teacher and student materials for Botvin LifeSkills Middle School Training,
training costs, which may include travel, lodging, per diem and substitute teachers and data collection stipend

To learn more about the LifeSkills Curriculum visit: lifeskillstraining.com

Apply Now! iGrants Form Package 761