In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.
“Hub” means the Consumer Health Information Hub.
“Plain language” means language that is clear, concise, well–organized, and complies with other best practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience.
“Public communication” means a document that:
Is necessary for obtaining a government benefit or service;
Provides information about a government benefit or service; or
Explains to the public how to comply with a requirement that the government administers or enforces.
“Public communication” includes a letter, a publication, a form, a notice, or an instruction.
“Public communication” does not include a regulation.
The General Assembly finds that health literacy is:
Part of the State’s critical public health and health systems infrastructure; and
An essential contributor to health equity.
State and local agencies shall use plain language in public communications about health, health insurance, safety, and social services benefits.
The University of Maryland Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy is designated as the State’s Consumer Health Information Hub.
The purpose of the Hub is to promote and ensure public access to accurate, consistent, evidence–based, plain–language information in preferred languages to inform decisions about health, safety, and social services benefits.
To the extent funding is available, the Hub shall:
Protect and promote public health by engaging with State and local government agencies, health systems, nonprofit and community–based organizations, and other entities to carry out the Hub’s purpose and duties under this subtitle;
Establish and promote health literacy criteria, certifications, and best practices that advance the effectiveness of the State’s health care system;
Identify health literacy challenges and provide recommendations to agencies and organizations on how to address the challenges, including by improving programs and materials to provide the public with access to plain–language health, safety, and social services benefits information;
Monitor and report on the use of health literacy and plain–language initiatives and support public reporting of vital public health information, including health care quality reports from the Maryland Health Care Commission; and
Support the identification and ongoing training of health literacy officers in State and local agencies.
On or before July 1 each year, beginning in 2024, the Hub shall submit a report to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health Committee, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on the implementation of this subtitle, including the status of statewide health literacy efforts and materials provided.
The Hub shall facilitate consistent State and local government use of health literacy and plain–language criteria, which may include by:
Identifying vendors of health information products that adopt the Hub’s health literacy criteria;
Offering a health literacy review of sources of public information or public media regarding health, safety, and social services benefits information;
Publishing templates that aid the development of plain–language health information materials; and
Publishing templates and model language for use by State agencies and local government agencies for awarding grants and contracts to ensure that recipients:
Address health literacy issues in their proposals and workplans; and
Refrain from creating additional health literacy barriers.
The Hub shall support workforce development, which may include by:
Offering or recommending educational sessions on health literacy for health professionals and individuals who develop health, safety, and social services benefits information for the public; and
Providing educational and age–appropriate resources that teach students health literacy and health literacy skills for primary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education.
The Hub shall assist programs and organizations to promote community health literacy, which may include by:
Offering Hub assessments of programs and organizations to identify barriers to public access of health, safety, and social services benefits information and services; and
Assisting entities with providing consumers with plain–language health information and referral and support services in a consumer’s preferred language.
In carrying out this section, the Hub may collaborate with entities that directly educate the public, including education institutions, libraries, and consumer referral services.
The Hub shall develop and publish criteria for evaluating whether media or a media campaign follows best practices for the promotion of health literacy.
If a person submits its media or media campaign to the Hub for review, the Hub shall use the criteria developed under subsection (a) of this section to evaluate whether the media or media campaign follows best practices for the promotion of health literacy.
The Department and the Hub shall encourage persons that promote public health, health education, or health awareness to submit media for evaluation by the Hub under this section.
When awarding grants, the Department and local health departments shall give special consideration, in a manner determined to be appropriate by the department awarding the grant, to entities that are designated by the Hub to meet health literacy criteria under subsection (b) of this section.
Alleged compliance or noncompliance with a provision of this subtitle is not subject to judicial review.
This subtitle does not create or authorize a right enforceable by administrative or judicial action.
The Department shall adopt regulations to carry out this subtitle.