This is an announcement from The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s listserv.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is pleased to announce the launch of its new website, HealthIT.gov . This website is designed to become the leading national resource on health information technology (health IT) for both consumers and health care professionals.

Health is personal. It’s personal for the parent who has a child with asthma. It’s personal for the patient with a new cancer diagnosis. And it’s personal for the doctor who is responsible for caring for them. At its core, HealthIT.gov is about patients, and it’s about helping them get the information they need, connecting them to resources that empower them to make changes, and ultimately, improving the nation’s health—one person at a time.

Whether you are a parent who is wondering how an electronic health record (EHR) will affect her family’s privacy or a provider who is overwhelmed by the idea of transitioning to EHRs, HealthIT.gov has the resources to help answer your questions.

Visit HealthIT.gov today!

The Health Data Tools and Statistics page, on the PHPartners.org website has been reorganized to make public health data and statistics easier to find and use.

New Public Health Data Tools and Statistics Categories: (more…)

The National Library of Medicine has a new blog, ReferencePoint, targeting health sciences library staff in the U.S. and abroad.
ReferencePoint postings will:

• Increase the awareness of NLM products and services available online and onsite.
• Inform the targeted audiences about health sciences resources outside of NLM.
• Promote dialogue and learning exchanges between NLM staff and staff at other libraries.

Reference librarians and other NLM staff will write, review, and respond to comments on the blog. Subscribe to the RSS feed to keep in touch.

More information is available in the NLM Technical Bulletin.

Three of the National Library of Medicine’s free mobile applications are now available for Android devices. They are Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER), Radiation Emergency Medical Management (REMM), and LactMed.

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Updated Aug. 31, 2011 Please Note:

*** “WE HAVE EXTENDED THE PROPOSAL DUE DATE TO SEPTEMBER 6, 2011 - NO LATER THAN 3:00PM EST. IN ADDITION, ELECTRONIC PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED BY SEPTEMBER 6, 2011 NO LATER THAN 3:00PM EST. ALL ELECTRONIC PROPOSALS MUST BE SENT TO buseyk@mail.nlm.nih.gov.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) announces a new funding opportunity for small pilot projects to improve access to disaster medicine and public health information for health care professionals, first responders and others that play a role in health-related disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.  NLM is soliciting proposals from partnerships that include at least one library and at least one non-library organization that has disaster-related responsibilities, such as a hospital, volunteer organization, public health department, public safety department, fire/rescue, or other local, regional or state agency.  NLM encourages submission of innovative proposals that enhance mutually beneficial collaboration among libraries and disaster-related agencies. (more…)

Celebrate the Blessing of a Healing Totem and its American Journey … You Are Invited!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon; Reception to follow
Fisher Pavilion at the Seattle Center [MAP]
Seattle, WA

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) in partnership with the University of Washington Libraries and the Native American Land Conservancy invite you and your friends to celebrate the blessing of a beautiful healing totem crafted by Lummi Indian master carver Jewell James. The NLM commissioned Mr. James to craft the totem in honor of a new exhibition focusing on Native views and definitions of health and illness. Our event at the Seattle Center will launch a series of totem blessings in cities and tribal communities as the totem travels to the Washington, DC area, finally being erected on the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Once in its permanent home, it will become a dramatic focal point of the new NLM exhibition, Native Voices: Native Peoples’ Concepts of Health and Illness, opening to the public October 6, 2011. (more…)