Celebrating Health Information Coaches, 2009-2010

On April 28th, 16 organizations funded by Health Information Partners and the National Library of Medicine will celebrate their work to reduce the inequality in information access and use for their participants from:

Boat People SOS

Bread for the City

Citiwide Computer Center

Dimensions Health Services, Senior Program

Doar Charter School for the Performing Arts

The Excel Institute

Gospel Rescue Mission

Greater Baden Health Center

Homes for Hope, Inc.

Kayla’s Village

Prince George’s County Memorial Library/UMCP

PIA – P. I. Advocates, Inc.

Spanish Catholic Center

VIDA Senior Center

The Women’s Collective, and our Community Health Advocates,

Cornelius Gaskins, Jimmy Hall, Reneto Wilkins.

Each organization conducted 4 workshops to teach people how to find, evaluate and apply reliable online health information on heart disease, the flu, HIV, diabetes, and many other topics. We invite the organizations and their learners to share their stories.

Health Information Partners Announces New Mini-Grants

Six (6) organizations will receive mini-grants to host online health information workshops to teach reliable HIV and other health information. Our new health information coaches are:

Community Education Group (CEG)
The DC Center for LGBT
Different Avenues
PIA - The Project of Intermediate Advocates
Whitman-Walker Clinic
The Women's Collective

Congratulations!

Women's Health Task Force

Carolyn Jacobson of the Coalition of Labor Union Women created this web site for the Women's Health Task Force, http://www.womenshealthtaskforce.org/health_resources.

Included there is a new entry on web site evaluation:

Vetting Health Sites

Thanks to the web, a wealth of medical information is just a click away. But how accurate is that information and how much can you - and your members - rely on it?

A couple of basic questions to ask when researching a medical or health question online is "Who is sponsoring the website, who paid for any studies reported and is the website promoting a cause?" The answers to these questions will help establish whether the site and info are credible, reliable and scientifically accurate. One top-drawer site is Medline Plus, sponsored by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Here you'll find solid info on hundreds of health topics and can easily access pictures and videos to help explain conditions. And the material is available in 40 languages, a great way to reach more of your membership!

Following are additional Gateway and Specialized Health Information Sites (courtesy of Health Information Partners, GW School of Public Health & Health Services):
Gateway Sites

Healthfinder, Department of Health and Human Services
Family Doctor, American Academy of Family Physicians
Centers for Disease Control Health Topics A to Z
National Institutes of Health - Health Topics

For seniors

Senior Health, National Institutes of Health
Medline Plus Senior Pages

For parents, kids and teens

Kids Health, Nemours Foundation
Center for Children with Special Needs

For teens

Teen Wire, Planned Parenthood
Teen Health, Nemours Foundation

Multiple Languages

Healthy Roads Media
The 24 Languages Project
EthnoMed

Lamond Riggs Library Health Fair

From Steve Lienthal:

Many people talk about preventive health care; too few practice it. The more Washingtonians are encouraged to take the common sense steps which can protect their health, the more common sense preventive measures will take hold.

Keeping this in mind, the librarians of the Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Library. were the main staged a health fair on Saturday, July 25 aimed at older members of the northeast Washington neighborhood. Participating organizations included the D.C. Emergency Medical Services, which administered blood glucose and blood pressure screenings, and the George Washington Cancer Institute. Estimates of attendance range from 20 to 40 people.

JoiAisha Bland, representing the George Washington Cancer Institute, commented:

"It was our first event at a library, and we were able to make face-to-face contact with many people and do hands-on education. The intimate space was a perfect venue to discuss colon cancer, a topic many perceive as personal and oftentimes, embarrassing. Almost everyone who visited our table took home a colon cancer screening kit, and we believe that reason was because they were able to learn about it in a comfortable setting--friendly staff, healthy snacks, and inviting atmosphere."

The "safety" element was also addressed through the presence of organizations including AARP Driver Safety and the Metropolitan Police Department.

Public libraries are more than repositories of books. They are vital centers for the community. The Lamond-Riggs Neighborhood Health & Safety Fair is indicative of the positive role that libraries can play in promoting the health and safety of the community.

Health Information in Union City News

Carolyn Jacobson, of the Coalition of Labor Union Women and Kathy McKirchey, Executive Director of the Community Services Agency of the AFL-CIO, published this news piece on the online Union City! news service on July 14:

"CSA NEWS YOU CAN USE" - Vetting Health Sites

Thanks to the web, a wealth of medical information is just a
click away. But how accurate is that information and how much can
you - and your members - rely on it? A couple of basic
questions to ask when researching a medical
or health question online is "Who is sponsoring the website,
who paid for any studies reported and is the website promoting a
cause?" The answers to these questions will help establish whether
the site and info are credible, reliable and scientifically accurate.
One top-drawer site is Medline Plus (medlineplus.gov), sponsored by the National
Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Here you'll
find solid info on hundreds of health topics and can easily access
pictures and videos to help explain conditions. And the material is
available in 40 languages, a great way to reach more of your
membership! Check out the Community Services Agency's
page (www.dclabor.org), where you'll find further information on
this subject and additional sites.

Health Information Partner Coach Workshops

Over the last 2 months, 50 people attended trainings to develop workshops on online health information for their students and program participants.

Leave a comment below to share how you plan to use health information in your work.

If you've taught a workshop, let us know what worked and what didn't!

Health Information Coaches

Health Information Partners congratulates our new health information coaches. These organizations will host health information workshops to teach their participants how to evaluate and use reliable sources of online health information. This project is funded by the National Library of Medicine's Southeastern Atlantic Region.

Boat People SOS
Bread for the City
Brentwood Senior Center (Dimensions Health System)
Emmaus, Inc.
Greater Baden Medical System
Kayla's Village
PIA, Project of Intermediate Advocates
Prince George's County Memorial Library/UMCP Library School
Spanish Catholic Center
VIDA (Eofula)
The Women's Collective