The Washington Health Foundation (WHF) is funding community initiatives to make Washington the Healthiest State in the Nation. In 2007, WHF has two grant programs: Major Grants and Mini Grants. Both grants encourage community-based initiatives that contribute to making Washington the Healthiest State in the Nation. (more…)

Article by Sue Jacobsen, MLS
Skagit Valley Hospital, Mt. Vernon, WA

The Skagit Valley Health Literacy Project was quickly renamed the GetHELP project for marketing purposes. In this moniker, HELP stands for _H_ealth, _E_ducation, _L_ibrary _P_artnership. GetHELP sought to reach out to the low literate and/or low-income population of health care consumers in Skagit County. The purpose of the project was to improve from a number of different perspectives, the health literacy of this population. Sue Jacobsen, librarian at Skagit Valley Hospital, lead the project. Other partners included public librarians, community college librarians, public health workers and the local senior center. (more…)

Digital library initiatives for public health workers, multi-cultural information on immunizations, and health literacy activities utilizing Rx Information prescriptions are some of the features of new outreach projects in the Pacific Northwest. Each project will also include training and community development in settings with limited health information expertise. The RML received many excellent proposals in response to Outreach to Underserved Health Professionals and Community Outreach RFPs, issued last summer. (more…)

The NN/LM PNR announces new funding opportunities, ranging from $500 - $25,000. Awards are aligned with goals to promote quality health information access by underserved communities and health care professionals in the Pacific Northwest Region. (more…)

Have you ever researched a health topic on MedlinePlus and wished you could find information at a more local level? There’s an opportunity in the Pacific Northwest to develop just such an option!

NN/LM PNR is pleased to announce that funding is available for MedlinePlus Go Local projects in the Pacific Northwest. The MedlinePlus Go Local Project links MedlinePlus users to health services in their local community related to the health topic they are researching. Conversely, the project also directs users of the Go Local site to MedlinePlus health topics. For example, users get medical information on diabetes from MedlinePlus and then visit a Go Local site for nearby health programs, services, and providers.

Here are some key questions to ask when considering a Go Local project. Do you have:

* An institutional commitment to create and maintain the site?
* At least a half-time salaried person to coordinate the project?
* Staff to do outreach and publicity?
* Staff to index and maintain the local records with the vocabulary and geographic mapping?
* An existing web site or database to serve as a starting point?

If your institution is interested in implementing Go Local, visit the call for submissions for the MedlinePlus Go Local award.

Maximum award is $25,000.

Contact Gail Kouame either by email or telephone at 1-800- 338-7657 (in AK, ID, MT, OR, and WA) for more information. Deadline for notifying NN/LM PNR of your intent to apply is November 1, 2006. Deadline for applications is December 15, 2006.

The Pacific Northwest Regional Medical Library announces Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for 2 outreach subcontracts: one with a focus on consumers and communities; and the other for outreach to underserved health professionals.

Both RFPs are now posted in the Funding section on the NN/LM PNR website.

Deadline for submission of proposals is August 18, 2006. Please contact Linda Milgrom (lmilgrom@u.washington.edu), Gail Kouame (gmarie@u.washington.edu) or Roy Sahali (rs@u.washington.edu) by July 31, 2006 to indicate your intention to apply.

To be an eligible proposal, the lead agency must be a network member. Proposals will be given priority consideration if a library is involved (as lead agency or as a partner organization); and if project personnel have experience using and teaching MedlinePlus, PubMed, or other National Library of Medicine resources.

If you intend to apply, start now to identify collaborators, to learn about your outreach audience via community assessment, and to inventory resources and assets. To locate network members in your area, search the Membership Database. Tools to help with community assessment and program planning are available from the Outreach Evaluation Resource Center, in particular Getting Started with Community-Based Outreach and “Stage 1: Conducting a Community Assessment” from Measuring the Difference.

Cathy Burroughs, Associate Director, cburroug@u.washington.edu