MAXIMUS Health Literacy Expert to Discuss the Importance of Effectively Communicating Health Information to the Latino Community

Download as PDF

RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- MAXIMUS (NYSE: MMS), a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that Kinte Ibbott, Vice President of the MAXIMUS Center for Health Literacy and an expert in literacy issues, will be a featured presenter at the Regional Latino Health Disparities Conference in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Ibbott will be presenting during the session titled “The Role of Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Health Care Delivery for the Latino Community.” He will highlight the importance of addressing health literacy when communicating health information to the Latino community. Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Mr. Ibbott will share tools and best practices from his work with state health programs. He will present successful strategies for helping states understand the cultural and linguistic needs of the Latino community in order to communicate important information and help people navigate the health care system, complete complex forms, locate providers and services, share health history with providers, and become proactive in maintaining their own health. Mr. Ibbott will be joined during the session by Juan Carlos Arroyo, Research Analyst, SRA International, Inc.

“The Affordable Care Act provided access to health insurance coverage for millions of Americans who previously weren’t covered. One of its goals was to reduce health disparities among population groups that experienced some of the biggest gaps, including the Latino community,” said Bruce Caswell, President of MAXIMUS. “As a leader in developing effective health literacy tools for state health programs, especially in communicating with minorities, MAXIMUS looks forward to sharing our insights for how states can improve the effectiveness of their health communications to reach this important population.”

With the month of October recognized as National Health Literacy Month, this conference affords an opportunity to exchange ideas for improving health literacy on a national level, especially for the Latino community. In addition to his appearance at this conference, Mr. Ibbott will be doing several media interviews throughout the month to share his insights into advancing health literacy efforts.

The George Washington University Avance Center, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the Regional Primary Care Coalition have partnered to host the first Regional Latino Health Disparities Conference: Breaking Down Structural Barriers to Latino Health Equity. This event will bring together the region’s elected leaders, public health officials, health care professionals, researchers and key stakeholders to explore emerging research, supportive policies and culturally responsive care for eliminating Latino health disparities in the Metropolitan Washington Region. The conference will take place on October 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University. Registration is available at: http://avancegw.org/annual-conference/regional-latino-health-disparities-conference/2015conference/.

About MAXIMUS

Since 1975, MAXIMUS has operated under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People®, enabling citizens around the globe to successfully engage with their governments at all levels and across a variety of health and human services programs. MAXIMUS delivers innovative business process management and technology solutions that contribute to improved outcomes for citizens and higher levels of productivity, accuracy, accountability and efficiency of government-sponsored programs. With approximately 16,000 employees worldwide, MAXIMUS is a proud partner to government agencies in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit maximus.com.

About the MAXIMUS Center for Health Literacy

The Center for Health Literacy develops easy-to-read print materials and easy-to-use websites so governments and public health services organizations can communicate effectively with consumers. Find out more about the Center for Health Literacy at maximus.com/chl or follow us on Twitter @health_literacy.

MAXIMUS
Lisa Miles, 703-251-8637
lisamiles@maximus.com
or
Blake Travis, 703-251-8398
blaketravis@maximus.com

Source: MAXIMUS

Released October 7, 2015