The Sangamon County Medical Society Alliance (SCMSA) Sangamon County Medical Society Alliance Health Projects 2011-2012 SCMSA Health Projects are health related activities conducted throughout the 2011-2012 year by Alliance member volunteers. Necessary funding for the Projects is provided from the SCMSA account. Ronald McDonald "Snack Basket" - $100 The Ronald McDonald House works to keep families together during medical crises. Alliance Volunteers stock the "SCMSA Snack Basket" twice per month throughout the year. This basket is used by the families as a means of maintaining adequate nourishment while coping with the many demands of having a hospitalized child. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Susan Worley at 726-7796. Stop America's Violence Everywhere (S.A.V.E.) - $500 Alliance Volunteers provide a one day Anti-Violence Program for underprivileged children to encourage peaceful conflict resolution. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Vicki Potter at 787-2693 Sangamon County Medical Society Alliance 2011 - 2012 Health Grants The SCMSA has awarded a total of $13,500 in 2011-2012 Health Grants to eleven worthy not-for-profit organizations. All the grants were for medically related or health oriented purposes and worked to improve the quality of life for members of the community. The grants were financed by the fundraising efforts of the SCMSA and were funded through the Sangamon County Medical Society and Alliance Foundation. For more information on the grants, please contact Lin Vautrain at 899-3611. Asbury Children's Supper Hour - $1000 An after school program for disadvantaged children that provides a nutritious, hot meal, homework assistance, and safe, supervised physical activities, 4 days a week, 51 weeks per year. Grant funds will be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for the evening meals. Volunteer opportunities available. Diaper Pantry at the Parent Place - $500 A program to distribute diapers to those in need while creating and building a relationship with the parent/caregiver. Grant funds will be used to purchase diapers. Volunteer opportunities available. DREAM Oncology Support Program (St. John's Children's Hospital) - $500 A program to meet the emotional, social, and educational needs of children diagnosed with cancer and their families. Grant funds will be used to provide informational/educational materials, food for holiday/milestone celebration parties for the DREAM patients and their families, and purchase bravery bead replacement materials. GenH - Brain Breaks Program - $1200 A program to create a generation of healthy children through education, wiser choices in nutrition, school gardens, health fairs, and increased physical activity. Grant funds will be used to pay for training and educational material for the genH Physical Activity Action Team's use in training Brain Breaks volunteers/teachers. Volunteer opportunities available. Girls on the Run - Volunteer Coach Appreciation - $800 Prepares preteen girls for a life time of self respect and healthy living through an empowerment curriculum including running. Grant funds will be used to provide year end recognition gifts/cards to volunteer coaches as part of coach retention. Volunteer opportunities available. Helping Hands of the Homeless - Helping Needs of the Homeless- $1000 Provides shelter for the homeless and works with others in the community toward a common goal of reducing/eliminating homelessness. Grant funds will be used to provide an estimated 40 clients with prescription medication. Volunteer opportunities available. Kumler Neighborhood Ministries - Indigent Pharmaceutical Program - $2000 Helps the at-risk population of the greater Springfield area overcome social, economic, and spiritual challenges by providing food, clothing, and medication. Grant funds will be used to provide those without insurance needed prescriptions, whether for acute or chronic conditions. Volunteer opportunities available. M.E.R.C.Y. Communities "Incentive Store" - $1000 Provides housing and supportive services to foster the independence of homeless and financially challenged families. Points earned by participants for positive behavior and achievement of goals are redeemable for products in the Incentive Store. Grant funds will be used to purchase cleaning, household, and baby supplies for the store. Volunteer opportunities available. Parent-to-Parent at St. John's Hospital (Parent Help Line) - ($3000) Strives to reduce child abuse and neglect by strengthening and educating Central Illinois families through support, information, and referrals. Within the Children's Hospital, PHL parent advocates provide support, referrals, and parenting education. Grant funds will be used to pay part of the cellular phone bill for phones used by PHL volunteers and to purchase educational materials. SCMSA volunteer opportunities available. Reading is Fundamental (RIF) - $1500 Promotes literacy by purchasing and distributing quality paperback books to students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades at participating public and parochial schools in Springfield and Sangamon County. Grant funds will be used to purchase books. SCMSA volunteer opportunities available. Sojourn Shelter - Counseling Services for Child Victims of Domestic Violence - $1000 Protecting families from domestic violence by providing shelter and comprehensive support services to abused victims. Grant funds will be used to support individual and group counseling services for child victims of domestic violence. SCMSA volunteer opportunities available. → SCMSA End-of-Year Report → SCMSA Health Project Application Health Literacy Health Literacy is the ability to • read, • understand and • act on health information. Professionals help patients when they write at the 4th - 6th grade reading level. About 50% of all U.S. readers read at or below the 8th grade reading level. Medical Alliance members can assist projects and improve health care with health literacy. Read the materials that your program hands out. Type the first paragraph into your computer. You can set your computer to give you the reading level. To do this, • Click on Tools • Click on Options - the last item in the category • Click the Spelling and Grammar tab (first row center for Microsoft Word) • Put a checkmark in the Readability and Statistics box. After you write a page, do a grammar and spelling check. With these tabs set, all you need to do is click on Tool. Then, and click on Spelling and Grammar (or F7). The computer will provide the reading level, and tell you the • Counts of words, characters, paragraphs and sentences • Average number of sentences per paragraph, words per sentence (aim for about 10), characters per word (aim for about 4) and • Readability - % of passive sentences (you should use active tense), the Flesch Reading Ease and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. The Parent Help Line, a Medical Alliance Project, writes tip sheets, newsletters and brochure that 1. Have columns that limit the length of the line to about 8 words, 2. Limit the sentence length to about 10 words, and 3. Use words that average about 4 characters per word. Log onto www.parenthelpline.org to see examples of good health literacy. If you need help to rewrite materials or want a workshop on Health Literacy, contact: Pat Graham at infection3@comcast.net The AMA Foundation trained Pat to share the Health Literacy message and tools. She can help you analyze the reading level of your health materials. She can train staff and board members to rewrite materials that patients can read, understand, and follow. Write to Be Read Follow these Write to Be Read tips to insure that you write a message that the reader can understand. Only then, can a person act - or do what meets the goal of the health care plan. A reader should "get the message" with one reading. During reading, the eyes scan the print. Eyes stop and start. You read when your eyes stop - 3 to 4 words. A reader should read a line in two stops. To write for all readers: • Use plain English. • Make every word count. • Be clear, concise, and brief. • Use positive (do), not no and don't. • Test for ease of reading before printing. Tools to Write Clearly • Subject and verb together if possible • Vivid, active verbs • Active voice • Short, simple sentences • Personal pronouns (You) - "talking" words • Few verbals (participles, gerunds, infinitives) • Few prepositional phrases • Lists, not long sentences • Concrete, familiar words, except for necessary technical terms • Chats and pictures • One or two-syllable word when possible Design and Layout to Aid Readers 1. Use no more than 65 characters per line or 10 words. 2. Choose a simple font no smaller that 12 point. 3. Serif letters, with little "feet", are easier to read. 4. Italics and script are difficult to read. 5. Justify only left margin. 6. ALL CAPS ARE HARD TO READ. 7. Write descriptive headers. 8. Break up dense copy. Use shorter paragraphs or headers. 9. Leave plenty of open, white space on the paper.