Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast

[https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Cheryl-clowns-150x150.jpeg] [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Kenny-clowns-150x150.jpeg]Cheryl Lekousi is the Executive Director of the Hearts & Noses Hospital Clown Troup based in Needham, MA. In her work as a clown, Cheryl is referred to as “Tic Toc.” Building on anextensive background in special needs education and early child development, Cheryl now makes clown visits to pediatric hospital units, memory care facilities for older adults, and a range of community events for ill and disabled children. Kenny Raskin is the Artistic Director of Hearts & Noses, training the troupe in clowning skills, partnering, and sensitivity to hospital staff and patients and their families. As a clown, Kenny is known as “Dr. Mensch.” Kenny is recognized internationally for his skills as a physical comedian and clown. He has performed in numerous films, circuses, television shows, and stage productions. Kenny even was the comic sidekick of the villain Gaston in the Broadway production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Cheryl Lekousi and Kenny Raskin talk with Helen Osborne about: * Medical clowns: What they do, who they are, ways clowns can help. * Stories and examples of medical clowns in action across the lifespan. * Lessons learned for the rest of us about bringing some joy and humanity to otherwise stressful medical situations. More ways to learn more: * Hearts & Noses Hospital Clown Troup [https://www.heartsandnoses.org/]e * Michael Christensen: Clown, Juggler, Circus Director [http://www.circopedia.org/Michael_Christensen] * “Clown Doctors as a Treatment for Preoperative Anxiety in Children: A Randomized, Prospective Study” [https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/116/4/e563/68024/Clown-Doctors-as-a-Treatment-for-Preoperative?redirectedFrom=fulltext], by Vagnoli et al, Pediatrics, 2005. * Medical Clowning: The Healing Performance, by Amnon Raviv * New Perspectives on Medical Clowning: Clown Doctors in COVID-19, Wartime, and the Everyday, by Amnon Raviv * Beyond the Red Nose, The Serious Business of Healthcare Clowning, by Tiffany Riley * The Clown Doctor Chronicles, by Caroline Simonds & Bernie Warren Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition [https://healthliteracy.com/health-literacy-from-a-to-z-third-edition-practical-ways-to-communicate-your-health-message/], by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Zest and Pizzazz” is especially relevant to this podcast. Read a transcript of this podcast. [https://healthliteracy.com/2025/04/07/medical-clowns-a-dose-of-joy-for-patients-of-all-ages-hlol-258-2/] The post Medical Clowns: A Dose of Joy for Patients of All Ages (HLOL #258) [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/2025/04/01/medical-clowns-a-dose-of-joy-for-patients-of-all-ages-hlol-258/] appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com].

[https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Profile-Photo-CP-150x150.png]Christopher Pizzute, MA, LCAT, MT-BC, is a music psychotherapist who works in inpatient and outpatient services at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. His expertise extends to palliative, psychiatric, geriatric, pediatric, and neonatal care. Christopher is also a songwriter, artist, and video game advocate whose work now extends to exploring the benefit of video game music as part of music therapy. Listen as Christopher Pizzute and Helen Osborne talk about: * The importance of music throughout the life cycle. * Examples of using music to support patient care. * Some ways to include music in healthcare and community settings. More ways to learn more: * Mount Sinai Health System, The Louis Armstrong Department of Music Therapy [https://www.mountsinai.org/locations/music-therapy/about] * “The Effects of Music Therapy on Vital Signs, Feeding, and Sleep in Premature Infants,” [https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/131/5/902/31313/The-Effects-of-Music-Therapy-on-Vital-Signs?redirectedFrom=fulltext]Loewy J et al, Pediatrics, May 2013. * https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/loewylab/ [https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/loewylab/] ‘The Loewy Laboratory’ Research website for the Louis Armstrong Department for Music Therapy * American Music Therapy Association [https://www.musictherapy.org/] * “Teaching & Singing About Health in South Africa,” [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/2009/10/14/hlol-25-teaching-singing-about-health-in-south-africa/] HLOL podcast interview with village health workers. * “Mache Seibel Talks about Using Music and Song,” [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/2008/10/06/mache-seibel-healthrock/] HLOL podcast interview with Mache Seibel, MD. Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition [https://healthliteracy.com/health-literacy-from-a-to-z-third-edition-practical-ways-to-communicate-your-health-message/], by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Zest and Pizzazz” is especially relevant to this podcast. Read a transcript of this podcast. [https://healthliteracy.com/2025/03/05/using-music-to-support-patient-care-hlol-257-2/] The post Using Music to Support Patient Care (HLOL #257) [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/2025/03/01/using-music-to-support-patient-care-hlol-257/] appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com].

[https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/doak-150x150.jpg]Today’s episode is a re-airing of an important podcast first posted in 2009. It is my conversation with the husband-and-wife team of Cecelia (Cici) and Leonard (Len) Doak. The field of health literacy as we know it today builds on the strong foundation of research, practice, and advocacy that began with the Doaks. While both of them have since passed on, it is well worthwhile to listen as Len & Ceci share why health literacy mattered decades ago and why it remains so important today. Cecelia (Ceci) Doak started as a commissioned officer in the US Public Health Service. During her more 20 years there, Ceci developed and led numerous health education programs. In fact, she received a commendation from the Surgeon General for her work educating the public about cancer. Leonard (Len) Doak comes to health literacy via adult education, volunteering for many years as a tutor of non-readers. Len’s first career was as a Navy engineer and among his many accomplishments he helped simplify instructions for crews working on ships and submarines. Len and Ceci, along with their co-author Jane Root, wrote the landmark book first published in 1985, Teaching Patients with Low Literacy Skills. Len and Ceci wrote guidelines for many important projects and analyzed the suitability of over 2,000 healthcare materials. They presented at more than 200 health literacy workshops, training thousands of health professionals in all disciplines. Len and Ceci Doak talk with Helen Osborne about: * How health literacy began more than 30 years ago * Why health literacy was important then, and is even more so today * Strategies to improve communication and assess understanding * Ceci & Len Doak’s vision for health literacy in the future More ways to learn: Doak, Doak, & Root, Teaching Patients with Low Literacy Skills, Second Edition [https://archive.org/details/teachingpatients0000doak], 1996. Now available on Internet Archive. Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition [https://healthliteracy.com/health-literacy-from-a-to-z-third-edition-practical-ways-to-communicate-your-health-message/], by Helen Osborne. The chapter “About Health Literacy” is especially relevant to this podcast. Read a transcript of this podcast. [https://healthliteracy.com/2025/02/01/hlol-256-len-ceci-doak-discuss-health-literacys-past-present-and-future-2/] The post HLOL #256: Len & Ceci Doak Discuss Health Literacy’s Past, Present and Future [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/2025/02/01/hlol-256-len-ceci-doak-discuss-health-literacys-past-present-and-future/] appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com].

[https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Adena-480800-SLP-Team-2023-10-Copy-2-150x150.jpeg]Adena Dacy, MS, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist. For many years, she worked with people of all ages who have communication disabilities. Dacy now is an Associate Director on the Health Care Services Team at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Her areas of interest include health literacy and access to quality care for people with speech, language, voice, hearing and/or cognitive difficulties.   [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Picture1-150x150.jpg] Judy Crane had a long and successful career in medical services and sales. This work was abruptly cut short when she had a dissected aorta followed by a stroke. One of her residual effects is post-stroke aphasia. Crane is now an active advocate for people with aphasia and serves on numerous committees and programs as a patient advisor, volunteer, and staff member. In 2021, Judy Crane was awarded the Stroke Survivor Hero Award by the American Stroke Association. Listen as Adena Dacy and Judy Crane talk with Helen Osborne about: * Communication disabilities. What this term means, who it includes, and how these disabilities can affect people across the lifespan. * Judy’s story of how communication disabilities can affect a person’s health understanding and outcomes. * Strategies to help make health conversations accessible to all. These are part of ASHA’s Communication ACCESS campaign: Ask, Communicate directly, Confirm understanding, Eliminate distractions, Slow down, Support interactions. More ways to learn: * ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) [https://www.asha.org/] * ACCESS: Better Health Starts with Effective Communication [https://www.asha.org/practice/communication-access/] * National [https://aphasia.org/] Aphasia Association * “Health literacy interventions in adult speech and language therapy: A scoping review,” [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hex.13878] by McKenna V.B. and Gilheaney O., published in Health Expectations, 2023. Read a transcript of this podcast. [https://healthliteracy.com/2025/01/03/communication-disabilities-making-conversations-accessible-to-all-hlol-255-2/] The post Communication Disabilities: Making Conversations Accessible to All (HLOL #255) [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/2025/01/01/communication-disabilities-making-conversations-accessible-to-all-hlol-255/] appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com].

[https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/V-JAcob-Head-Shot-150x150.jpeg]Viju Jacob, MD, FAAP is the Medical Director and Vice President of Medical Affairs at a large Federally Qualified Health Center in Bronx, NYC. His day-to-day work includes oversight of 12 school-based health practices, 2 family practice sites, and 6 school-based dental practices. Dr. Jacob also focuses on regulatory and policy aspects of school-based healthcare at both a statewide and national level. As a new immigrant himself, Viju was user of a School-Based Health Center, having received some of his earliest dental care from the School-Based Dental Clinic at PS 8 in the North Bronx. In this podcast, Dr. Viju Jacob talks with Helen Osborne about: * School-based health centers: What they are, who they treat, how they help children and families. * Health literacy in action. The intersection of these centers with education, clinical care, public health, and community services. * Looking ahead at the potential of school-based health centers. More ways to learn: * New York School-Based Health Foundation [https://www.nysbhfoundation.org/] * New York School-Based Health Alliance [https://nysbha.org/] * School-Based Health Allliance: The National Voice for School-Based Health Care [https://www.sbh4all.org/] Health Literacy from A to Z: Practical Ways to Communicate Your Health Message, Third Edition [https://healthliteracy.com/health-literacy-from-a-to-z-third-edition-practical-ways-to-communicate-your-health-message/], by Helen Osborne. The chapter “Community Connections” is especially relevant to this podcast. Read a transcript of this podcast. [https://healthliteracy.com/2024/12/04/school-based-health-centers-health-literacy-in-action-hlol-254-2/] The post School-Based Health Centers: Health Literacy in Action (HLOL #254) [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com/2024/12/01/school-based-health-centers-health-literacy-in-action-hlol-254/] appeared first on Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast [https://www.healthliteracyoutloud.com].