Oct 14, 2005 -- During the week of October 17 through October 23 medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine will take part in a weeklong program, “Breaking Down Barriers to Health Literacy,” designed to promote health literacy in the Bronx community and to provide first- and second-year medical students with an opportunity to practice effective communication with future patients. “Health literacy refers to a patient’s capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions,” explains Dr. Peter Selwyn, professor and chair of family medicine at Einstein. “When literacy is low, it can greatly affect an individual’s understanding of written or spoken medical advice, hamper communication between doctor and patient, and inadvertently lead to health disparities. Our goal is to improve patient understanding while reducing the possibility for disparities to occur, and the program is a part of our effort.” As part of the program, students will be able to attend workshops where they will learn ways to communicate effectively with patients about information pertinent to their health, while overcoming language, cultural and educational barriers. These workshops will be led by Einstein faculty and certified health educators from Montefiore Medical Center. During the week, students will also conduct health education programs at local schools and at a local community center whose clientele primarily speaks English as a second language. In addition, Dr. Selwyn will conduct a “community medicine talk” for students on caring for HIV/AIDS patients. “The health fairs offer an excellent opportunity for our students to take initiative in reaching out to the local community, offering screening and assessment while also providing useful information about how individuals can receive primary care,” Dr. Selwyn said. The program’s events have been coordinated by Kevan Akrami, a second-year student who also is the action committee chair at Einstein for the American Medical Student Association – a national organization that is the student arm of the American Medical Association. In his leadership role, Mr. Akrami has spearheaded the medical school’s outreach efforts to the local Bronx community. Earlier in the year, he organized a crew of 36 first- and second-year Einstein students, supervised by Einstein faculty and Montefiore residents, to bring a community health fair hosted by St. Anne’s Rectory (Bainbridge Avenue and Gunhill Road). Through the health fair, community members received screenings for blood pressure, body mass index (an indicator for obesity), vision, and diabetes. The 139 community members who attended also received information on helpful health practices. The upcoming community health fairs, planned for Oct. 22-23, will take place at the ECHO Free Clinic, located at 1894 Walton Avenue (corner of 177th Street) and in the Highbridge community, on the Grand Concourse at 161st Street. Einstein students and faculty will collaborate with Montefiore residents and their community health promoters to offer screenings for blood pressure, glucose, lipids/cholesterol, vision, depression, and body mass index/obesity. The screenings will be supplemented with educational displays and pamphlets on topics including cardiovascular/heart health, women’s health, mental health/depression, diet/nutrition/exercise, access to healthcare in the Bronx, environmental/occupational health, asthma/immunizations, smoking risks and cessation, general wellness/stress management, sexually transmitted diseases/HIV, and cancer risks. “We want to provide useful information to help our Bronx neighbors understand all the healthcare options available to them,” says Mr. Akrami. “And in doing so, we hope to get a better sense of the predominant health problems faced by community members, as well as get a sense of what services they feel they need.” For additional information about the two Einstein community health fairs, please call 718-920-4678.