Welcome to the first Oregon Health Go Local E-newsletter!
Contents
- What is Oregon Health Go Local?
- A Note from the Project Director
- April Highlights
- May Highlights
- Oregon Health Go Local Public Awareness Survey Results
- Oregon Health Go Local Timeline
- Oregon Health Go Local Needs Your Help
- Links of Interest
What Is Oregon Health Go Local?
Oregon Health Go Local is a project coordinated by the Oregon Health & Science University Library. Its aim is to create an online directory of health service providers throughout the state of Oregon. Users will be able to browse by health topics, health providers, or location to find the services they need. By connecting Oregonians to accessible, accurate and reliable health services information, we aim to create a healthier Oregon.
As part of MedlinePlus Go Local, the Oregon Health Go Local database will be integrated with the National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus database. From MedlinePlus users will be able to find health service providers in Oregon based on specific health topics.
A Note from the Project Director
Shortly after I arrived in my position as Project Director for Oregon Health Go Local my colleague received the following reference question:
"I have a close friend with Burkit's Lymphoma and she is undergoing her second round of chemotherapy to eliminate tumors and to prepare her for upcoming Stem Cell Transplant this summer. Can you please provide me with information on Stem Cell Transplants?... And where are some support groups that I may contact for information for family education and patient needs as they go through transplant? Thank you so much for your help as I am hopeful that you can help me help her family with information."
This question is indeed timely, and one that, when Oregon Health Go Local goes live, will be more easily answered by librarians and health practitioners throughout the state. Using a combination of resources such as MedlinePlus and Oregon Health Go Local, one could easily assist this patron. Using MedlinePlus one can search for authoritative health information that is geared towards the public. Using Oregon Health Go Local would find health services and providers specificly related to lymphoma and stem cell transplants in Oregon. This example makes clear that in our position as librarians, health practicitoners, and even as general citizens, we can better help our friends, co-workers, neighbors, and other community members by using MedlinePlus and Oregon Health Go Local.
If you have similar stories, please send them our way. We can use these to promote Oregon Health Go Local as we continue to build the database and promote the project within our communities.
-Emily Ford, Oregon Health Go Local Project Director
April Highlights: Oregon Health Go Local Project Director, Emily Ford, began her work at OHSU.
Oregon Health Go Local participated in the Oregon Library Association/Washington Library Association Joint Conference Showcase for Innovative Grant Funded programs and exhibited the project in conjunction with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine booth.
May Highlights:
A batch of test data was imported into the Oregon Health Go Local database.
Successful partnerships were created with 211info http://www.211info.org and the the Cascade AIDS Project's Oregon AIDS Hotline http://www.oregonaidshotline.com A huge THANK YOU to Laura Kuperstein of 211info and Tom Richardson of the Cascade AIDS Project for helping to ensure that Oregon Health Go Local will be a success.
During the Medical Library Association Conference in Chicago, Todd Hannon (Principal Investigator), Emily Ford (Project Director), and Gail Kouame (National Network of Libraries of Medicine Pacific Northwest Region Consumer Health Coordinator) were able to participate in a meeting of all the Go Local projects in the US.
Oregon Health Go Local Public Awareness Survey Results are Here!
The survey we conducted to measure the public awareness of Oregon Health Go Local amongst Oregon Librarians has been closed and data collected. 209 librarians throughout the state responded to the survey. Highlights are listed below:
- 51% of respondents never heard of Oregon Health Go Local or MedlinePlus Go Local.
- 30% of respondents had heard of both Oregon Health Go Local and MedlinePlus Go Local.
- 12% of respondents had heard of MedlinePlus Go Local but not Oregon Health Go Local.
- 7% had heard of Oregon Health Go Local but not MedlinePlus Go Local.
Oregon Health Go Local Timeline
Oregon Health Go Local is in the beginning stages of collecting and inputting data into the Go Local system. Building and maintaining this database is an iterative process. However, our hope is that we will launch the live database in late October. Although the database will not be considered complete at this time, this is our goal for having high priority data input and reviewd. (High priority data includes information regarding hosptials, health departments, immunization programs, emergency medical services and many more!)
Oregon Health Go Local Needs Your Help>
Do you know of a great resource? Have a good contact? Are you willing to volunteer your time? If so, please e-mail Emily Ford fordem@ohsu.edu
Links of Interest
Iowa Go Local is the newest "live" database of the Go Local projects.
http://apps.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/local/iowa/homepage.cfm?areaid=37
211info, one of Oregon Health Go Local's partners provides information and
refferal services
http://www.211info.org/
Oregon AIDS Hotline
http://www.oregonaidshotline.com/
Oregon Office of Rural Health
http://www.ohsu.edu/oregonruralhealth/
Oregon Health Go Local is supported in whole or part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Oregon State Library. This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal Funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services under contract NO1-LM-1-3516 with the University of Washington's Regional Medical Library.
Emily Ford
Project Director
Oregon Health Go Local
OHSU Library
(503) 494-3915
(503) 494-3322 (fax)
fordem@ohsu.edu
http://www.ohsu.edu/library/golocal
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