National Network of Libraries of Medicine

nnlm.gov

Dragonfly

Summer 2004 -- Volume 35, Number 3

Five New Projects Funded in the Pacific Northwest

By Gail Kouame, Consumer Health Coordinator
NN/LN Pacific Northwest Region

What do these have in common? Health ministers in African-American and Muslim communities; public libraries in rural Washington; a professional medical library association working with public libraries around Oregon; an area health education center working with rural communities in Oregon; and a community-based organization focused on domestic violence and mental health. They are all among the new groups participating in "Electronic Access to Health Information" projects funded by the National Library of Medicine. The RML is pleased to announce five awards that will fund projects that began on September 1, 2004.

In the Access to Wellness Network project, the African Americans Reach and Teach Health Ministries (AARTH) will expand upon a previously developed project that focuses on providing access to culturally relevant and user-friendly health information to the African-American, African, and Muslim faith communities in Western Washington. AARTH staff and partners will work with members of faith communities in building technology capacity, health information awareness, and search skills. Seattle high school students and participants in a youth group within churches or Muslim-based organizations will learn how to find health information and health career information. The web site http://www.aarth.org will also be enhanced (Rev. Mary Diggs-Hobson, PI).

The Sno-Isle Regional Library will provide the residents of Island County, Washington electronic access to credible health information and community resources through a partnership between Sno-Isle Libraries and Whidbey General Hospital. Patients, their families, health care professionals, and the general public will be connected with the resources needed to answer their health questions in a timely, reliable, and confidential manner. Two Medical Resource sites at Whidbey General Hospital, with direct electronic links to the Sno-Isle Library District's health related databases, will allow staff to provide accurate information to help individuals make informed health and medical related choices. Health care professionals, library staff, and members of the public will receive training on identifying, evaluating, and using reliable resources (Chari McRill, PI).

Tuality Health Information Resource Center in Hillsboro, Oregon will take the lead in representing the Oregon Health Sciences Library Association (OSHLA) in the "Health Reference Triage Project." OSHLA members will hold a series of "Health Reference Triage" classes in the state of Oregon and in Vancouver, Washington to reach public librarians in their home areas. The purpose of the project is two-fold: 1) to expand the knowledge and ability of public librarians to deliver health information to the public, and 2) to foster connections between clinical and consumer health science libraries and public libraries. A syllabus and web links will developed and made available online through the Oregon Health & Science University website (Judith Hayes, PI).

"Locating Healthcare Resources for Rural Communities" is the project being developed at the Oregon Pacific Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Project participants will use Internet technology to enhance consumer use of online medical education resources in northwest rural Oregon. There are two components of the project: 1) promoting MedlinePlus, Profiles in Science, and Images from the History of Medicine to high school students enrolled in health career programs with particular focus on minority students participating in the Multi-Cultural Youth for Health Careers Program. This program is a collaborative effort between Oregon Health and Science University AHEC Program Office. 2) Providing outreach to consumers using local media and participation in multi-cultural community health fairs to disseminate medical Internet resource information.

Voices of Hope in Great Falls, Montana will coordinate the "Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence" project. Their goal is to improve access to mental health and crisis information for mental health providers and domestic violence and sexual assault service providers in Montana. Responding to a statewide action plan that calls for development of a resource for "accessing technical assistance, training, 'best practices' information and updated listings of community resources, the project will expand resource centers at Voices of Hope and the Montana Coalition. Training and information skills development workshops will also be provided (Susie McIntyre, PI).

Dragonfly, Summer 2004 -- Volume 35 Issue 3

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: September 7, 2004

National Network of Libraries of Medicine

nnlm.gov

Dragonfly

Summer 2004 -- Volume 35, Number 3

Five New Projects Funded in the Pacific Northwest

URL: http://nnlm.gov/pnr/news/200407/newprojects.html