PA Tolya L. Thompson is taking health education to a whole new level as the author of a series of children's books aimed at increasing health literacy.
With whimsical titles like "Loud Lips Lucy," "Worry Wart Wes," and "Catchin' Cooties Consuelo," the books in her Smarties series are an entertaining mix of health education and vibrant illustrations. And they are the cornerstone of her Smarties Book Health Literacy Initiative.
Thompson takes the health literacy initiative on the road when she isn't working as a PA in emergency medicine. She travels the country throwing pajama party health literacy events at public libraries, such as the one recently written up in The Record of Stockton, Calif.
How she first merged medicine and writing for children is a story in itself. "In college, I had to go to Washington state to study biohazard cleanup - a complicated topic," said Thompson, who works at Sutter Roseville Medical Center. "I had to create a project to educate the community about what we were doing. I discovered it was easier to teach children. I started with the yellow that ate the green. It was about tractors and bulldozers in the forest."
She uses her latest book, "Wheezing Winona Weatherbee," to help children understand asthma and how to manage it. The event in Stockton was was supported by the American Lung Association California.
Read the rest of the story here.
