Health Sciences Library Helps Launch Web Site That Gives Residents Access to Resources
UNC Medical Bulletin
Rebekah Temple
Summer 2003
The Health Sciences Library, in collaboration with UNC's School of Information and Library Science, launched a Web site in December giving North Carolinians access to health resources throughout the state.
The initiative, called NC Health Info, links health services with health topics. Working in conjunction with MedlinePlus, a Web-based health information service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Institutes of Health, NC Health Info is able to combine credible health information with local health services, providers and programs.
The first of its type in the nation, the Web site has received the support of U.S. Rep. David Price and Sen. John Edwards. "It doesn't surprise me that North Carolina is the first to have this," Price said at the site's public introduction.
Held Jan. 14 at the Pittsboro Memorial Library, the site's unveiling also was attended by state Rep. Joe Hackney and Donald Lindberg, MD, director of the NLM, among others.
According to Christie Silbajoris, project director of NC Health Info, the Pittsboro Memorial Library was selected for the site's debut because of its location. "For those of us living in more urban areas, it is easy to forget that North Carolina is a rural state and that for many people health information and resources are not readily available. One of the primary goals of the site is to make information and resources easily assessable to all North Carolinians," she said.
The site received 20,000 visits during January. But though operational, the site is not nearly complete, said Silbajoris. Currently, the site links to more than 1,800 resources around the state, which is only a fraction of the number of anticipated sites that eventually will be linked to.
Since MedlinePlus covers more than 600 health topics and North Carolina has 100 counties, Silbajoris and Peggy Hull, the former project director, had to determine the Web site's scope. They decided, at the beginning, to focus on finding resources corresponding to eight of the 12 North Carolina 2010 Health Objectives. These objectives, determined by a governor-appointed committee, set an agenda for improving the health of North Carolinians during the first 10 years of the new millennium.
One of the objectives addresses decreasing infant mortality by reducing infant death and low birth weight, as well as improving maternal health behaviors during pregnancy. Silbajoris and others have taken health topics falling under this objective and found resources around the state. For example, the site makes it possible for an expectant mother in Brunswick County to find local resources addressing pregnancy and substance abuse, which is in addition to the general health information provided by MedlinePlus.
One challenge, according to Silbajoris, is finding those resources that serve the smaller communities. Another challenge, she said, is making sure that information is available for key resources, such as hospitals and health departments. In the cases where a crucial resource does not have a Web presence, NC Health Info has provided the contact information.
Silbajoris encourages users of the site to recommend resources. Since the January launch, approximately 80 resource links have been suggested by users, many identifying themselves as health care professionals. In addition to health care professionals, Silbajoris hopes public librarians will use the site and refer people to it for health information.
Founded two years ago, the initiative grew out of the vision of the director of the Health Sciences Library, Carol Jenkins. Realizing the need for health information relevant to North Carolina, Jenkins, Joanne Gard Marshall, PhD, dean of the School of Information and Library Science, and Diana McDuffee, network director for the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers library and information services, went to the NLM with the proposal to supplement MedlinePlus' information with resources specific to North Carolina.
The NLM accepted the proposal and granted the project funding. A feasibility study was conducted the first year, and the second year was spent compiling the information for the site's debut, chronicling every step so that it may be duplicated by other states.
"We are very excited about the potential NC Health Info has to provide North Carolinians with information about their local health services. We feel that NC Health Info can assist people in finding the resources that are truly right for them," Silbajoris said.
To find out more about NC Health Info, go to www.nchealthinfo.org.
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