In response to the recent torrential rains in the Phillipines, which have submerged Manila and surrounding areas, the National Library of Medicine has launched the web site, People Locator for the 2012 Philippine Floods. The Lister Hill Center, an R&D division of the National Library of Medicine, developed People Locator, a web site to post photos and name, age, etc. for missing (or found) people by hospital staff, relief workers, or family members. It can be searched by the public and by relief workers who are assisting with family reunification efforts. The site is designed to receive information through the Web, an iPhone/iPodTouch/iPad app, and from other sites such as Google Person Finder. The underlying app is ReUnite, which is available at no cost. Missing persons’ photos and identifying information can be added through any of these channels.

Google Crisis Response has also activated Google Person Finder for the floods in the Philippines, in English and Filipino. The English-language Google home page is also available. NLM’s People Locator and the Google Person Finder share information, so that missing persons are then listed in both places. Additional information about the US government response to the flooding is available from the USAID home page for the Philippines and the US Embassy in Manila. The embassy is closed until at least August 9.

The Medicare Learning Network (MLN) is the official source for education, information, and resources for the Medicare Fee-For-Service provider community, provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The MLN gives health care professionals access to the Medicare Program information they need, when they need it, so they can focus on providing care to their patients. With access to the MLN, health care professionals will stay current regarding Medicare developments and accurate CMS information. MLN can enhance your library’s website status as a repository of nationally consistent educational information for Medicare’s Fee-For-Service (FFS) providers.

One way to collaborate with the Medicare Learning Network is to obtain a free MLN button to download on your website. Collaborating with the MLN can enhance your library’s status as a destination for accurate, reliable, and official Medicare information. The MLN button is a direct link to the MLN General Information page, which provides access to the MLN Products page, with resources to download about Medicare Program policies, procedures and regulations regarding coverage, billing, coding, and reimbursement.

Another way to collaborate with the MLN is to join the MLN Education Products LISTSERV. After signing up, users can receive the latest news and updates regarding official Medicare publications. To search for this listserv, enter “MLN” in the list query box, and then click on the “Search” button. In addition, the MLN Catalog of Products is a free, interactive, downloadable document, which lists all MLN products by media format.

A recent article published in the Los Angeles Times by Scott J. Wilson listed the following data resources from government agencies and private organizations, designed to provide consumer information about hospitals.

1. CalHospitalCompare.org from the California HealthCare Foundation.
2. Hospital Compare from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
3. The Leapfrog Group, an employer coalition that promotes hospital safety and quality.
4. Quality Check, a site operated by the Joint Commission accrediting organization.
5. The Medicare site has a feature to help compare kidney dialysis centers.

The following free training in the Los Angeles area on April 20^th may be of interest to you or your library staff.

E-Resources in Health/US Census Report Mining: Two Half-day Workshops as a Daylong Training for Healthy Communities Partners

The intended audience includes community organizations, hospital and public library staff, and any others who would like an introduction to consumer health services and using U.S. Census data to help determine appropriate health programming and health information needs of the community.

The two sessions are an introduction to a series of self-paced tutorials that is currently being developed as a partnership between Infopeople, UC Davis, and NN/LM PSR.  The tutorials are based in part on the core competencies from “Finding Health and Wellness @ the Library: A Consumer Health Toolkit for Library Staff” and materials from the online class “Health and Wellness @ the Library: The Essentials of Providing Consumer Health Services.”

If you have any questions about the training sessions, please contact Kelli Ham at kkham@library.ucla.edu.

Here is the announcement from the CALIX list today:

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Space is still available in the LA area (Pio Pico branch of LAPL, Koreatown) and Bay Area (Fremont Public Library) sessions of E-Resources in Health/US Census Report Mining: Two Half-day Workshops as a Daylong Training for Healthy Communities Partners

Instructor: Francisca Goldsmith

Fee: Free for those in the California library community. *

• What pressing consumer health issues face your community?

• Are you confident in your knowledge of up-to-date, quality health resources that are most appropriate for library users with health questions?

• Are you faced with the challenges of finding quality health information in other languages or at understandable reading levels?

• Are you comfortable handling sensitive health reference questions?

• How can you mine Census information to help lead and support health reference and health programming at your library?

Build your awareness of the competencies and skills you need to plan and provide health-related library services. Upon completion of this course, you will be ready to pursue further health and wellness information via companion self-paced online modules.

Workshop Description: This day-long, on-ground training includes a morning session intended to increase your awareness of, and comfort with, accessing reliable and accessible health information on the Internet, and and an afternoon session aimed at exploiting the potential of the US Census website and other demographic resources to enhance your knowledge of local demographics. This is a hands-on training during which you will explore online, under the guidance of the instructor, who will provide individual and group exercises.  The instructor will supply sample evaluation templates, cheat sheets, and practical and useful tips for immediate application in your work.

To register and get more info about this workshop can be found here: http://infopeople.org/training/eresources-health-census

*Note about the Fee: Made possible by funding through the University of California Davis under award No. 06-43-B10584 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S. Department of Commerce, and offered at no charge to participants.  The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NIST or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Travel costs will be reimbursed using the UC Davis Travel Reimbursement Requirements. An expense sheet will be provided to all attendees on the day of the workshop. For questions regarding reimbursements, please contact Kate Marie at kate.marie@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

Check-in is 8:30 to 9:00 AM; instruction is 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

A new, easy-to-read website on drug abuse designed for adults with a low reading literacy level (eighth grade or below) was launched today by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health. The site, Easy-To-Read Drug Facts, which provides plain language information on neuroscience, drug abuse prevention and treatment, is also a resource for adult literacy educators. It has a simple design with a large default text size, motion graphic videos and other features that make it easy to read and use.

The website’s emphasis on plain language supports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s commitment to clear government communication that the public can understand and use. The site goes beyond plain language by using a website design and features that are easy to use, including animated videos that explain the science of addiction and how drugs affect the brain. The website will use the ReadSpeaker text-to-speech tool that provides audio versions of each page without the need to download any software. The embedded highlighting tool enables website visitors to see synchronized highlighting of the text that is currently being read.

For more information, please visit Easy-To-Read Drug Facts or read the NIDA Press Release. For additional resources on health literacy, please refer to the NIH Clear Communication website.

The February 2012 issue of NIH News in Health, the monthly newsletter bringing you practical health news and tips based on the latest NIH research, is now available! In this edition:

• Love Your Heart: Take Steps To Reduce Heart Risks
• Grumbling Guts? Understanding Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Body Forms “Industrial” Lubricant for Metal Hip Implants
• Navigating Treatment Options for Addiction
• Featured Website: NIH Radio

A PDF version is available for printing. A limited number of print copies are available free of charge for display in offices, libraries or clinics. Please e-mail or call 301-435-7489 for more information.

The Urban Indian Health Institute has released 2011 Community Health Profiles for each Urban Indian Health Organization (UIHO) service area. These reports examine the health of American Indian/Alaska Natives living in each of the 34 UIHO service areas using the most current data available from the 2010 U.S. Census, the American Community Survey (ACS), the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the U.S. Center for Health Statistics and the Air Quality System Data Mart. The Pacific Southwest Region is home to a third of the UIHO service areas and the reports provide a picture of the health of urban Indian people. The Community Health Profile: National Aggregate of Urban Indian Health Organization Service Areas was previously released in December 2011.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced the launch of a new mobile iPad app! The CDC iPad app allows users to immediately access health articles, popular journals, fast-breaking health updates, blogs, and podcasts. The app features:

• Health Articles written by subject matter experts and health communicators from all CDC centers and programs. While most stories are topic- or event-driven, many capture the full scope of CDC’s work on cross-cutting topics.
• Vital Signs offers recent data on important public health issues. Topics include: colorectal and breast cancer screening; obesity; alcohol and tobacco use; access to health care; HIV testing; seat belt use; cardiovascular disease and more.
• Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) Journal is a peer-reviewed electronic journal established to address the interface between applied public health research, practice, and policy.
• Newsroom features the latest health news from the CDC Newsroom. From this tab you can access current and archived press releases, media advisories, and press briefing transcripts.
• Public Health Matters Blog: CDC bloggers share their passion for public health, its evolution, and the continual strides that are being made to protect and save lives through education, awareness, research, and promoting healthy lifestyles.
• CDC podcasts: Listen to CDC podcasts on your iPad for reliable health and safety information when and where you want it. The tab links to CDC’s vast library of audio and video podcasts.
• Stay Connected: Follow CDC by tapping on tabs for Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. By accessing CDC’s social media through the iPad, users can view important information on health topics and events throughout the year.

The CDC iPad app is available for free and can be downloaded through the iTunes App Store.

Please join us Thursday, January 19, 2012 for an Infopeople webinar on Caregiver Resources.

Start Time:  12 Noon Pacific

Presenter: Kelli Ham

Infopeople will be hosting this free, hour-long webinar. Registration is ONLY done on the day of the event on the WebEx server, and no passwords are required. For more information and to participate, go to http://infopeople.org/training/caregiver-resources.

If you are unable to attend the live event, you can access the archived version the day following the webinar. Check Infopeople’s archive listing at: http://infopeople.org/training/view/webinar/archived/.

For Tips and Registration Information, please go to http://infopeople.org/training/webcasts/tips.html.

Caregiver Resources

A recent study on caregiving reported a startling statistic: during any given year, more than 65 million people, (nearly 30% of the U.S. population), provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend and spend an average of 20 hours per week providing that care. Other findings show that these efforts take numerous tolls on caregivers, including extraordinary time demands, financial burdens, and the physical and mental health status. Impacts on employers and the workplace are significant, in terms of lost productivity, reduced time at work, and increased health care costs.

This webinar will give library staff practical knowledge about the information needs and the role of the caregiver.

At the end of this one-hour webinar, participants will:

• Understand the spectrum of caregiving topics, from daily tasks to the issues and challenges facing people who are in caregiver situations
• Be aware of caregiver resources for specific conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease
• Be able to find resources regarding financial issues and housing decisions
• Be able to provide support resources for the health and wellbeing of the caregiver

This webinar will be of interest to public library staff, including reference librarians or reference desk staff, adult and teen services librarians, and staff from organizations who provide health information to consumers and members of the public.

The January 2012 issue of NIH News in Health is now available online. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plays a major role in finding better ways to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent diseases. The practical health information in NIH News in Health is reviewed by NIH’s medical experts and based on research conducted either by NIH’s own scientists or by grantees at universities and medical schools around the country. In this issue:

• Breaking Bad Habits: Why It’s So Hard to Change
• Mindfulness Matters: Can Living in the Moment Improve Your Health?
• Delaying Treatment for Prostate Cancer
• Rats Show Empathy, Too
• Featured Website: NIH Clinical Research Trials and You

NIH News in Health is available as e-mail alerts and print subscriptions. Print copies are available free of charge for offices, clinics, community centers and libraries within the U.S. If you are interested, please e-mail nihnewsinhealth@od.nih.gov with your mailing address and how many copies you would like. A PDF version is also available online for printing.