The National Library of Medicine has funded awards for the 18th round of AIDS Community Information Outreach Projects. Since the beginning of this program in 1994, NLM has continued its HIV/AIDS-related outreach efforts to community-based organizations, patient advocacy groups, faith-based organizations, state and local departments of health, and libraries, including public libraries. (more…)

by Yamila El-Khayat, MALS
Outreach Services Librarian, Arizona Health Sciences Library
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ

On September 7-8, 2011, I attended the Arizona Refugee Resettlement Conference, which is dedicated to identifying the needs and providing a better understanding of the refugee community, and how we can come together to help enrich the lives of refugees. The event was held at the Westin La Paloma in Tucson, Arizona. There were approximately 400 participants, from many different sectors and companies, but all united in the cause to help the refugee population adapt to their foreign country and culture. (more…)

On April 8, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched two strategic plans aimed at reducing health disparities: the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and the National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity. (more…)

On January 31, 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provides advice for making food choices that promote good health, a healthy weight, and help prevent disease for healthy Americans ages 2 and over. It forms the basis of Federal nutrition policy, education, outreach, and food assistance programs used by consumers, industry, nutrition educators, and health professionals. (more…)

December 2, 2010, marked the official launch of the Healthy People 2020 project and unveiling of the new web site. (more…)

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is committed to improving access to relevant information for the public health community. A major focal point for initiatives in this area has been the Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce initiative (also known as “Partners”; found at http://phpartners.org/), which is a collaboration to provide the public health workforce with timely, convenient access to information resources to help them improve the health of the American public. (more…)

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recently released a key report titled the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy. The publication is a call to action for “organizations, professionals, policymakers, communities, individuals, and families” to join together in a national response to the problems stemming from low health literacy. (more…)

On June 2, 2010, a forum was held at the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C., introducing the Community Health Data Initiative (CDHI). The forum’s opening two-hour plenary session featured remarks by Harvey Fineberg, President of the Institute of Medicine, and Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Following that were demonstrations by eight organizations, showcasing new, cutting-edge examples of how the government’s raw health data could be transformed into freely available applications for health professionals, policy makers, and the general community. The entire plenary session was recorded and is available for viewing. (more…)

The National Library of Medicine has funded awards for the 16th round of AIDS Community Information Outreach Projects. Since the beginning of this program in 1994, NLM has continued its HIV/AIDS-related outreach efforts to community-based organizations, patient advocacy groups, faith-based organizations, state and local departments of health, and libraries, including public libraries. (more…)

By Alison Aldrich
Technology Outreach Coordinator, NN/LM PNR
University of Washington
Health Sciences Library

Congratulations to Dr. John Clarke, winner of the 2009 Flu Prevention PSA Contest sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Here is his winning entry: (more…)