Summary:

This project will provide a knowledgeable, supportive health information librarian ("Consumer Health Information Coordinator") who will work with the staff at each of six Community Partner organizations to implement an effective health information module at their site and to promote the use of NLM consumer health databases to their clients and the general public. The goal is to enhance consumer access to reliable health information.

Identification and Description of Target Population:

The specific target populations for the HCHL project are the staff and clients of the six participating Community Partners (Holyoke Public Library, Holyoke Health Center, Nuestras Raíces, Mercy Women's Health Center, Girls Incorporated of Holyoke, and the Holyoke Council on Aging). Each of these Holyoke organizations routinely contacts segments of the Holyoke community, including the general public, low-income Hispanics, women seeking health care, pregnant and parenting teenagers, Puerto Rican families raising vegetables in community gardens, teens at the Holyoke Teen Center, and the elderly who come to the Senior Center for meals, activities, and services. All residents of Holyoke are potential beneficiaries of the enhanced health information services proposed in this project.

Methodology:

A Consumer Health Information Coordinator will be hired (part-time, 18 months). This Coordinator will train staff at each site to use National Library of Medicine consumer health databases. These six partner organizations provide 25 public access workstations already connected to the Internet, plus about 150 staff workstations. In addition, the City of Holyoke is fortunate to have high-speed fiber optic Internet service and several Community Technology Centers with space available for group instruction. The Coordinator will work with staff to plan and conduct outreach to their clients. A training curriculum will be developed to help staff promote and use the health information resources beyond the scope of this project.

The Consumer Health Information Coordinator will assist each Partner in setting up or improving:

1. a virtual library (our www.holyokehealth.info website with links to NLM databases)
2. a reference shelf containing a few essential books (dictionaries, guides, atlas of body)
3. training and mentoring in the use of virtual and reference material

Brief History of the Holyoke Consumer Health Library, Inc.

Holyoke Consumer Health Library, Inc. (HCHL) is a coalition of people who live, work, or volunteer in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and care about the availability of reliable, up-to-date health information. Some of us are librarians; some of us work in local health agencies. We believe that the people of Holyoke would benefit from increased access to reliable, current, health information. We have been working together since 2000 to create a consumer health library for the community. In July 2001, we incorporated as Holyoke Consumer Health Library, Inc. and obtained non-profit status. In 2002 we developed a website and launched a 'virtual' library, linking to MedlinePlus and other reliable online resources. Many of Holyoke's residents speak only Spanish, so a section of the website is in Spanish (en Español). In 2003 we opened our first physical library. This is a very small 'pilot' library within the Centro Agricola, a Hispanic community center run by Nuestras Raíces. HCHL volunteers took turns staffing it once a week for two hours. We have learned much from this pilot, and are now ready for this next phase, to be based at the Public Library.

HCHL Mission: The Holyoke Consumer Health Library, Inc. aims to provide Holyoke residents with access to health information to empower them to better advocate for their health needs. We seek to:

• Build awareness of health information resources available in the community;
• Promote coordination among hospitals, agencies, health centers, and libraries in order to provide access to health information;
• Identify and assess gaps in health information resources and barriers to accessing information resources.

The Holyoke Consumer Health Library, Inc, is committed to reflecting and affirming the diverse ethnic and racial cultures and spirit of Holyoke by promoting information that is in the appropriate language and reading level and is culturally sensitive.