National Network of Libraries of Medicine

nnlm.gov

Dragonfly

Winter 2004 -- Volume 35, Number 1

Network Members Begin Innovative Outreach Projects

by Linda Milgrom, Outreach Coordinator
Pacific Northwest Regional Medical Library.

Public librarians in small Idaho towns, health coalition partners in rural Eastern Washington, public health nurses in Oregon, and families from ethnic minority communities who are raising children with developmental disabilities are some of the groups who will participate in new outreach projects in the Pacific Northwest. The RML received more proposals for outreach funding this year than ever before, and the variety of agencies and scope of projects was truly impressive! From those submitted, reviewers (with difficulty) selected four for funding.

Pam McBride and partners will expand their successful consumer health information collaboration in the Orofino/Cottonwood area of north central Idaho. Rural hospitals, public libraries, and the Idaho State Library will create a health information portal; train public librarians to conduct efficient searches using MedlinePlus, PubMed, and the state's full-text databases; and promote use of these resources. Initially health professionals serving two critical access hospitals and affiliated clinics, along with library staff from two districts serving the same area, will be targeted to raise their awareness of quality health information availability. In turn, these library and clinic staff will inform consumers. In a second, statewide phase, consumer products will be made available to all public libraries in Idaho.

Lincoln County, in eastern Washington, has had a slightly higher rate of breast cancer than other counties in the past decade and has defined breast cancer as a public health priority. The AHEC at Washington State University Spokane and the Lincoln County Health Coalition are working together to implement a breast cancer prevention outreach program that will include placement of computer kiosks in eight small healthcare facilities. The project will increase community access to internet-based health information (with a special focus on breast cancer resources); provide education and training through library linkages; and will enhance collaboration between local public libraries, the public health department, and other NN/LM member organizations.

After attending an internet training session, a group of public health nurses asked OHSU librarians to partner in the development of a public health nursing web site that will include links to resources relevant to their daily work. The web site will then be used as a basis for training sessions to be held at ten sites across Oregon. This project also builds on a project currently funded by NLM that provides access to a package of online texts to all licensed nurses in Oregon.

Associates in Cultural Exchange (ACE) is a King County agency that supports families of children with developmental disabilities from ethnically and linguistically diverse communities. ACE will identify family advocates and "trusted sources" of information in the Latino, African-American, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Somali, and Chinese Islander populations in the Seattle area. Library staff from Harborview Medical Center's EthnoMed project will train these community members, using a modified version of the curriculum developed by the Center for Children with Special Needs at Children's Hospital and Medical Center. The Refugee Women's Alliance and ARC of King County will also participate, hoping to demonstrate that if families receive training from individuals they trust, they will have the tools they need to understand their children's disabilities and special health care needs and will be better able to follow-through on medical advice.

These projects begin in January 2004. The Regional Medical Library hopes to offer similar funding opportunities again in the summer of 2004. Tempted but not quite ready to tackle an outreach project of this scope? Remember that, among the options for funding from the RML, are mini awards for training ($500) and planning awards ($2,000). To apply, simply complete a fill-in-the-blank template at http://nnlm.gov/pnr/funding/miniexpress.html or contact an RML staff member to discuss your ideas.

Dragonfly, Winter 2004 -- Volume 35 Issue 1

This publication is funded in whole with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, under Contract No. N01-LM-1-3516.

NN/LM | UW HSL | NN/LM PNR | Contact us: nnlm@u.washington.edu | Revised: January 9, 2004

National Network of Libraries of Medicine

nnlm.gov

Dragonfly

Winter 2004 -- Volume 35, Number 1

Network Members Begin Innovative Outreach Projects

URL: http://nnlm.gov/pnr/news/200401/awards2004.html