Winter Storms and Extreme Cold, Federal Emergency Management Agency

http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/winter.shtm
Heavy snowfall and extreme cold can immobilize an entire region. Even areas that normally experience mild winters can be hit with a major snowstorm or extreme cold. Winter storms can result in flooding, storm surge, closed highways, blocked roads, downed power lines and hypothermia.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/guide.asp

Extreme Cold: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Personal Health and Safety is an extensive document providing information about planning ahead for cold weather, safety both indoors and outdoors in cold weather, and cold weather health conditions.

National Weather Service
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/wntrstm.htm

Winter Storms…The Deceptive Killers brochure is packed with useful information including winter storm facts, how to detect frostbite and hypothermia, what to do in a winter storm, and how to be prepared.

December 18, 2007

Read the latest issue of the NIH MedlinePlus Magazine. http://www.fnlm.org/magazine/fall07.pdf
Highlights include:

• Controlling Asthma
• Easing Chronic Pain
• Understanding Alzheimer’s
• Space: The New Medical Frontier

by Linda Celet Bane, Assistant College Librarian, Mary F. Shipper Library/LRC, Potomac State College, Keyser, WV

Americans, especially those in rural areas without easy access to medical libraries, are turning to the Internet for health information. Many, however, fear that they won’t be able to find reliable health information. The Western Maryland Health Education Center (WMAHEC) and its partners designed West Virginia Outreach II (subcontract #N01-LM-6-3502) to train high school and college students, teachers, librarians, and parish nurses in Northern and Central West Virginia to use the National Library of Medicine’s free databases to find the high quality and reliable health information they need to make sound health care choices.

West Virginia Outreach II was the second project sponsored by the National Network/Libraries of Medicine, Southeastern/Atlantic Region. It continued the first project and expanded the audience and geographic area covered by West Virginia Outreach I. In order to reach a broader range of West Virginians, WMAHEC partnered with the Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA) of West Virginia University, the Nurse Program of the West Virginia University School of Nursing, the West Virginia Library Commission (WVLC), the Northern West Virginia Rural Health Education Center (NWVRHEC), the Northern West Virginia Rural Health Education Partnerships (NWVRHEP), and the West Virginia University Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP).

Susan Stewart, WMAHEC’s Executive Director, directed the project. D. Michele Beaulieu, WMAHEC’s Program Coordinator, coordinated the training and traveled throughout West Virginia presenting workshops in Farmington, Flatwoods, Grantsville, Kingwood, Morgantown, Mt. Zion, and Spencer. An additional workshop was held in Cumberland, MD for students in the WMAHEC Exploring Careers in Health Occupations (ECHO) program.

The goals of the project were to teach individual West Virginians to locate and use reliable health information when making medical decisions and to train professionals so that they can train their students, library patrons, and patients in the future.

Each workshop lasted two hours and involved hands on use of computers. Each participant received an information package with an agenda, a pre-test, a post-test, handouts on basic Internet terms and each of the databases. Trainees searched the Medline/PubMed, MedlinePlus, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases. They also searched the NIHSeniorHealth.gov, Genetics Home Reference, and GoLocal databases.

The results of the pre/post tests and evaluations were overwhelmingly positive. While the range of each group’s pre/post test scores varied, they invariably improved for each group. One HSTA group average improved from 38% on the pre-test to 80% on the post-test. The evaluations and comments were also extremely positive. Some sample comments:

• “I thought this was a very good tool for the future.”
• “Wonderful presentation. Can’t wait to share with coworkers and patrons.”
• “The program was very helpful and has given me information I was not aware of. I have learned to be more careful when using search engines.”

One measure of the success of the project is that the West Virginia Library Association (WVLA) workshop had standing room only and WMAHEC has been invited to present the workshop again at the next WVLA Spring Fling in 2008. Another is that the instructors in the HSTA program were pleased that the flexibility of the workshop design allowed it to mesh with their student’s individual research projects.

For more information about West Virginia Outreach II or WMAHEC, please contact WMAHEC at Columbia Building, 11 Columbia Street, Cumberland, MD 21502 or (301) 777-9150.

Web Sites for the groups/programs mentioned:

• Western Maryland AHEC - http://ahec.allconet.org/
• National Library of Medicine - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/
• National Network/Libraries of Medicine, Southeastern/Atlantic Region - http://nnlm.gov/sea/
• Health Sciences and Technology Academy of West Virginia University - http://www.wv-hsta.org/
• Parish Nurse Program of the West Virginia University School of Nursing - http://www.hsc.wvu.edu/son/academicPrograms/parish/index_parish.htm
• WV Library Commission - http://librarycommission.lib.wv.us/
• WV Library Association - http://www.wvla.org/
• Northern West Virginia Rural Health Education Center - http://www.glenville.edu/NWVRHEC/
• Northern West Virginia Rural Health Education Partnerships - http://www.wvrhep.org/nwvrhec/INDEX.HTM
• West Virginia University Health Careers Opportunity Program - http://www.cahcon.org/index.html
• WMAHEC Exploring Careers in Health Occupations - http://ahec.allconet.org/echo/

For additional information, please contact:
Linda Celet Bane
132 James Street
Keyser, WV 26726-2620
LCBane@verizon.net
304-788-3793

http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/foodsafetytips111307.html

Combating bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other contaminants in our food supply is a high priority for FDA. But consumers have a part to play, too, especially when it comes to food handling in the home.
Foodborne illness can be severe and even life-threatening to those most at risk:

• older adults
• infants and young children
• pregnant women
• people with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or any condition that weakens their immune systems

“The good news is that practicing four basic food safety measures can help prevent foodborne illness,” says Marjorie Davidson, consumer educator at FDA. They are clean, separate, cook and chill. More details are found at: http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/foodsafetytips111307.pdf

For further information, see:
www.foodsafety.gov
www.cfsan.fda.gov

FDA Food Information Line
1-888-SAFEFOOD (1-888-723-3366)

USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854)
TTY 1-800-256-7072

Listen to the NLM Director’s Comments on Toys, Lead and Children’s Health. A transcript is also available. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/podcast/transcript121007.html

Although a child’s exposure to lead from toys is important to consider, new information from the Nemours Foundation notes how to monitor the safety of playthings during this holiday gift season — and adds some perspective about lead and kid’s health. First, the Nemours Foundation notes many toy stores and manufacturers are (and we quote) ‘buckling down on testing before the products actually hit the shelves’ (end of quote) this holiday season.

On the other hand, the Nemours Foundation reminds us that a child’s lead exposure usually is not from toys, but from a variety of other sources. These include U.S. homes built and painted before 1978, when lead was permitted within paint. Children receive lead exposure when eating paint peelings, or by inhaling lead particles in dust from walls covered with lead-based paint. In the U.S., all paint distributed since 1978 is lead free.

The Nemours Foundation reports kids also are exposed to lead from:

• Soil contaminated by nearby streets (from lead once used in gasoline). Lead in gas also is now banned, but residual effects persist.
• Some children’s metal jewelry. Often exposure is through the metal (not the paint). Sadly, metal jewelry containing lead often is inexpensive and is distributed in vending machines, or at discount retailers. This is also important to consider when purchasing inexpensive jewelry from street stands all over the world, including the U.S.

http://www.imls.gov/news/2007/110607.shtm

Georgetown County Library, Georgetown, South Carolina and Memphis Public Library & Information Center, Memphis, Tennessee Are Among Five Libraries Receiving the Nation’s Highest Honor for Extraordinary Community Service. Institutions will be honored in Washington, D.C. ceremony and receive a $10,000 award.

Five museums and five libraries have been selected for the 2007 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for the extraordinary public service provided by these institutions, announced Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Director of the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. In keeping with the 2007 name change to the National Medal for Museum and Library Service (previously known as the National Award), recipient institutions will be awarded a newly-minted medal in recognition of their extraordinary civic, educational, economic, environmental, and social contributions. Each organization will also be honored in a special ceremony in Washington, D.C., and receive a $10,000 award.

Georgetown County Library: As part of its information service to 60,000 citizens, the Georgetown County Library joined with the Medical University of South Carolina and the Charleston County Library in a “Reach 2010” effort to teach poorer, rural residents to use online Internet databases such as MEDLINE® to access health resources. In May 2006, this collaboration won the first-place Health Information Award for Libraries from the United States National Commission on Libraries and Information Science.

Furthermore, the library system is a key member of the Georgetown County First Steps Partnership which aims to prepare preschoolers to be emotionally, intellectually, and physically ready for first grade. As part of this aim, the library established book collections in 42 childcare centers throughout the county. For a time, it also collaborated with the county’s recreation department to provide motor skills activities appropriate for tots.

“We at the Georgetown County Library have a pride of place,” said Library Director Dwight McInvaill, “and we want Georgetown County to succeed fully for the benefit of all citizens.” http://www.gclibrary.org/documents/2007-IMLS_PressRelease.pdf

http://foundation.acponline.org/hl/hcc2007.htm

On Wednesday, November 28, 2007, the American College of Physicians Foundation sponsored its 6th annual National Health Communication Conference, “Advances in Health Literacy” at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. This year’s conference challenged researchers, clinicians, and educators to “present evidence-based solutions to the problems associated with low health literacy and discuss meaningful innovations to improve health outcomes and service” (Introductions and Opening Remarks by Harold J. Fallon, MD, MACP http://foundation.acponline.org/files/hcc2007/fallon07.pdf). Accessed 12/4/2007.

The conference forums, mainly presented as roundtable discussions, produced thoughtful solutions to the difficult problem of increasing health literacy. One such solution, presented by Alastair J. J. Wood in “Simplifying Medication Scheduling – Can We Confuse Patients Less?” is to develop a universal medication schedule on pill bottles whenever possible (there are always exceptions). According to Wood, medications require that people “know what to take, how many pills to take, and when to take them” (http://foundation.acponline.org/files/hcc2007/wood07.pdf Accessed 12/4/2007. Presentation slide 2). This universal medication schedule would show people what to take, how many to take, and when to take them in a picture format such as below:

Although the conference was directed towards physicians, nurses, pharmacists, educators, patient education material writers, librarians, and others working to increase health literacy also attended. The most notable presentation stated the importance of partnerships. Elyse Barbell Rudolph, Executive Director, New York City’s Literacy Assistance Center, shared her experience with a local hospital. The literacy assistance center and the hospital partnered with each other to increase health literacy. After the literacy center staff trained the health professionals to be clear and speak in plain language, the literacy center asked the hospital health professionals to speak to a basic ESL class at the literacy center about their jobs and responsibilities as health care providers. After the health professionals spoke with the class, the class on a separate occasion went to the hospital to tour the relevant facilities (emergency room, maternity ward, etc.) and ask questions. The class participants then participated in a teach-back session with their classmates in hopes of increasing their knowledge and expectations of and comfort with the health care system in the United States. Barbell Rudolph demonstrated that the partnerships helped both the students and the health professionals. She states,

Partnerships have helped adult educators to “contextualize” the curriculum by using real life material (e.g. registration forms)…[and] demystify the health care system through visits to health care facilities…[and] partnerships have helped demonstrate the gap between what doctors and other health care professionals and administrators think they have communicated and what patients have understood…[and] demonstrate that clinical communication can be a barrier, along with educational deficits of patients (Literacy Community Centers and Health Literacy, Elyse Barbell Rudolph, http://foundation.acponline.org/files/hcc2007/rudolph07.pdf Accessed 12/4/2007. Presentation slides 8 and 9).

The American College of Physicians Foundation 6th annual National Health Communication Conference, “Advances in Health Literacy” was useful and informative. The participants heard from researchers, clinicians, and educators and gained new knowledge and even took home the new easy-to-read American College of Physicians Foundation Living with Diabetes, an Everyday Guide for You and Your Family. This guide has photographs and stories of real people who have diabetes and focuses on the “need to know and do vs. the nice to know” (Terry Davis, http://foundation.acponline.org/files/hcc2007/davis07.pdf Accessed 12/4/2007. Presentation slide 3).

For fuller information on the conference, health literacy issues, and the call for submissions for the November 19, 2008 conference, please see http://foundation.acponline.org/. Hopefully there will be librarians presenting on their partnerships at the 2008 conference.

A new, electronic newsletter focusing on emergency preparedness and response is now available for health educators. Produced biweekly by the Society for Public Health Education, “Emergency Preparedness and Response News U Can Use,” highlights the latest information on both natural and man-made disasters.
Whether you are working directly on an emergency response team or not, this newsletter will be relevant to all health educators, helping them to be ready to respond to their constituents in an emergency.

This FREE resource includes:

• Latest alerts and news items of interest,
• New resources on risk communication and emergency response,
• Calendar of upcoming training opportunities, events, and
• Job opportunities,
• Latest funding opportunities.

Topic areas highlighted include: Influenza, Bioterrorism, Natural Disasters, and more.

The e-newsletter is available to both SOPHE members and non-members alike at: http://www.apha.org/NR/rdonlyres/D922BD00-69C4-449E-BE11-1428F0840084/3603/SOPHEEmergencyHealthNews.pdf

If you are interested in being added to the newsletter list – or learn more about what SOPHE is doing related to emergency preparedness and response — contact Tanya Maslak, MPH, Director, Environmental Health Promotion, Society for Public Health Education at: tmaslak@sophe.org

The Medical Library Association (MLA), under contract and working with the National Institutes of Health/National Library of Medicine (NLM), is looking for eight hospital-based libraries to pilot a new Health Information Literacy (HIL) Curriculum designed to increase health care provider knowledge of health information literacy issues, increase patient and provider use of NLM and other consumer resources, and promote the role of librarians as key providers of health information literacy resources and support.
To become a pilot site, the hospital-based library can be of any size and type, and serve any geographic area. Interested libraries must submit an application form and letter of commitment from their hospital administration documenting organizational commitment to long-term delivery of consumer health information services, via email by January 7, 2008 to Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi. See the Pilot Training Selection Criteria document for a description of the selection criteria, training site expectations, and the support that training sites will receive from the project.

All applicants will be notified of their selection status by January 30, 2008. If you have any questions about this call for pilot training sites, please contact Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi via email.

• Email: sabrina_kurtz-rossi@comcast.net
• Pilot Training Site Application Form
• Pilot Training Site Selection Criteria

For more information about the full project, visit: http://www.mlanet.org/resources/healthlit/hil_project.html

Adapted from the original press release: http://www.mlanet.org/resources/healthlit/hil_pilot.html

www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/spotlite/3d.htm

December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month (3D Month) by Presidential Proclamation. Though thousands of people die or are injured in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes each year in the United States, effective measures to prevent these deaths and injuries do exist.

Resources available on the Internet include:

MedlinePlus.gov: Motor Vehicle Safety
(http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/motorvehiclesafety.html)

About every twelve minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from a motor vehicle crash. Trying to prevent these crashes is one part of motor vehicle safety.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(www.nhtsa.dot.gov)
Over the limit, under arrest! This promotional planner provides marketing materials, media tools and marketing ideas you can distribute to fit your local needs and objectives while at the same time partnering with other states, communities and organizations all across the country on this promotional program.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
(http://www.iihs.org/)
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit, independent, scientific and educational organization, was founded in 1959.It sponsors English and Spanish materials about drunk and other unsafe driving particulars at http://www.stopimpaireddriving.org/ and http://www.iihs.org/spanish/default.html

American Academy of Family Physicians
(http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/addictions/alcohol/273.html)

Drinking: It Can Spin Your World Around: Facts for Teens

Alcohol changes the way you act. It makes you let go of the feelings that keep you from doing things you know are risky or dangerous. This can lead you to make bad decisions–like driving when you know you shouldn’t. You might think that it won’t happen to you, but everyone knows someone who has said that and then ended up hurt.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
http://www.family.samhsa.gov/stop/talk.aspx

Start Talking Before They Start Drinking: A Family Guide

You are the most powerful influence on your teen’s behavior. Underage drinking can have serious consequences, so protect your child from the risks associated with drinking by maintaining open communication and expressing a clear, consistent message about alcohol. Building a close relationship with your kid will encourage shared decisions that impact health and well-being. This guide provides facts and practical advice on how to talk with your child about underage drinking. It helps you create household rules to support your values.