5/12/2008
Our webpage Español has been updated.
5/7/2008
Medline Plus announced a new section: Health Information in Multiple Languages (40 languages!). Note the Criteria for selection: materials must be written by professionals for U.S. consumers, and there must be an equivalent English version. They have added links to instructions about display issues for different language fonts on your computer (e.g., for Russian, Chinese, or Arabic).
4/30/2008
CHNA Forum: Connecting the Dots in Holyoke: Family Health Resources. Holyoke Health Center. Sandy Ward and Carol Soules spoke about the new Holyoke Unites/Holyoke Se Une website, which had been launched April 8th.
3/14/2008
Our History page has been updated to include this information:
During 2007-2008 the focus has been on collaboration with broader efforts in Holyoke, especially the Holyoke Food and Fitness Policy Council (HFFPC) and work with a variety of coalitions to create a resource directory of service providers and coalitions in Holyoke. This directory, web-based and bilingual, is named Holyoke Unites/Holyoke Se Une. Judy Atkin and Sandy Ward serve on the HU HSU Web Team. Our HCHL webspace (behind the scenes) has been used for early drafts of the website and web team notes. A team of UMass IT students is designing the public version for April 2008 launch.
3/7/2008
Medical and heath science librarians of Western Mass (W.M.H.I.C.) met at BayState Medical. Michelle Eberle, NER Consumer Health Information Coordinator, gave a presentation on “the Healthy librarian”.
1/29/2008
Our Hotlines page has been updated to include Mass2-1-1, the statewide Information & Referral System created by United Way and endorsed by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). Visit www.mass211.org or dial 2-1-1 for human service and public safety/disaster information. “Currently Mass2-1-1 operates its call center Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 8:00pm with the ability to activate 24-7 during times of emergency in the Commonwealth.” In times of emergency, this primary telephone information call center should help reduce the number of non-emergency calls made to 9-1-1. This service provides citizens “the opportunity for 'one-stop-shopping', with access to vital updated disaster information, numerous post-disaster programs, interpreter services, ...”
Mass2-1-1 also provides routine referral information, e.g., how to find adult day care, or a food pantry. Use www.mass211help.org SEARCH page to enter your search, e.g., by topic, and zip code or city.
12/19/2007
Our Resources page has been updated, adding Wellness Information Zone and dropping HeathWeb, which has been discontinued. The Guides page and Holyoke Information page have also been updated today.
12/7/2007
Medical and heath science librarians of Western Mass (W.M.H.I.C.) met at Shriner's Hospital, Springfield. Guest Janet Eckert, WMRLS Continuing Education Consultant, spoke about the services of the Western Massachusetts Regional Library System (WMRLS), including their upcoming Workshops.
Saul Franklin, Director of the MassCHIP program, guided us through the features of MassCHIP = Massachusetts Community Health Information Profile, a service of the MA Dept of Public Health. He emphasized that he is available by phone (617-624-5512) to help people construct customized queries in this complex, powerful database of statistics about Massachusetts health and economic indicators. (See data sources.) Standard reports (“Instant Topics”) are easily viewable via the web on any computer. Customized reports require that you download client software.
12/4/2007
Sandy met with Kathy Viens and others on the Fitness Subcommittee of the Holyoke Food and Fitness Policy Council (HFFPC). We are compiling a database of organizations that offer fitness, sports, and recreation activities to Holyoke residents.
12/1/2007
A letter from the PlaneTree Health Library in California,
one of the original models that inspired this effort in Holyoke, seeks "bridge" funding as they evolve
from hospital sponsorship to a more independent status. They have now reorganized as a separate non-profit and donations may be made online.
11/20/2007
Work continued on revising a MEDSPEAK brochure, “Deciphering HIV/AIDS MEDSPEAK”. Sandy received an updated draft from Martha Prescott (of Western Massachusetts Health Information Consortium, which volunteered to help MAHSLIN with this Medical Library Assocation project), and forwarded it to some Holyoke volunteers for additional review. Sandy did additional editing in early December. The results will eventually become part of the Deciphering MEDSPEAK series published by the Medical Library Association. Jim Craig had helped revise another of these brochures last year. The goal is to make the medical language understandable to the public.
10/24/2007
Officers for 2008 were elected at the Holyoke Consumer Health Library, Inc., Annual Meeting:
10/18/2007
Regional Forum on Health Disparities | Confronting Healthcare Disparities: Is Commonwealth Care the Answer?
October 18, 2007, 8:00AM-3:00PM at the Holyoke Health Center, 230 Maple Street, Holyoke, MA. See www.enddisparities.org/ for more information.
10/17/2007
Email notice sent to HCHL distribution list announcing our upcoming meeting and program:
Annual Meeting and Online Workshop
Wednesday October 24, 4:00 - 5:30 pm
in the Library at Holyoke Community College
(in the Donahue Building, marked DON on this campus map).
Come see what was added to our "virtual library" in 2007.
Come explore the improvements in MedlinePlus.
Bring any puzzling health questions you
might have;
Test how well these online resources work for YOUR purposes.
9/28/2007
Western Massachusetts Health Information Consortium (WMHIC) meeting 9-12 at Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA. Program by Liz Farrell, professional organizer, about managing time, information and space in an information age.
9/26/2007
Sandy Ward and Judy Atkin attended a meeting of Holyoke coalition representatives at Enlace de Familias and heard a presentation about the Healthy City initiative in Fall River, MA. See Healthy City Fall River Home Page. This was the third in a series of “coalition of coalitions” meetings; Holyoke has over 35 separate coalitions! One subcommittee on which Judy and Sandy have been working (with Jody Spitz, of Holyoke Family Literacy Coalition, and Jenny Navasky, Holyoke Health Center) aims to create an information-sharing resource directory/database/website for Holyoke. Tentative name: Holyoke Unites. The group decided to go forward with the Holyoke Unites proposal. For more information, see separate webpage.
8/29/2007
Holyoke Senior Fest Picnic, hosted by the Council on Aging and the Holyoke Parks & Recreation Dept, at Mater Dolorosa Social Hall 11:00 am-2:00 pm, with Sandy Ward staffing an information table promoting MedlinePlus and our own Senior Health webpage. Among the handouts are tri-fold MedlinePlus brochures in English and Spanish (downloadable in PDF format from
NER NN/LM Training materials webpage).
8/7/2007
Javier Crespo, announced a new NLM Request for Proposals for health information outreach projects for 2008. See NN/LM NER's webpage about funding options: http://nnlm.gov/ner/funding/. The complete Request for Proposal (RFP) is available in PDF format at: http://nnlm.gov/ner/funding/rfps/Health_Info_Outreach_Subcontract_y2.pdf
8/6/2007
Resource Directory planning meeting at Enlace de Familia, 3-4:30 pm, Aug 6, 2007. A group of people are trying to create an online directory of Holyoke services and resources. One example already exists at Holyoke Community College: socialservicesinfo.pbwiki.com HCC's Social Services Information Wiki, which uses pbwiki software (see http://pbwiki.com/).
HCHL will participate in the Senior Picnic, hosted by the Council on Aging, on the last Wednesday in August.
6/22/2007
HCHL participated in the Community Health Fair run by the CEPA Program on Friday, June 29,
10am-4pm at 330 Appleton (corner of Chestnut and Appleton), Holyoke. Food, music, balloons, and of course, many tables of information from community agencies and local service providers. The HCHL table promoted MedlinePlus and other reliable health information resources.
News items from earlier years are archived: 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | Sept-Dec 2004 | 2003-2004 transition | History page with links to earliest years |
