Check out the latest Oregon Health Go Local E-Newsletter, which features information about MedlinePlus speech enhancement and H1N1 video, new community health education center at Salem Hospital, and a tribute to Go Local production assistant Anne Hepburn, who has recently left to become a librarian at the Pacific Northwest College of Art.
What: Oregon Health Go Local Launch Party
When: Tuesday, May 12, 10:30-11:30
Where: 4th floor of the Library
On Tuesday, May 12th the library will celebrate the launch of Oregon Health Go Local a free online directory of health resources, services, and facilities throughout the state of Oregon. Oregon Health go Local is a joint project of the National Library of Medicine and Oregon Health and Science University Library. The Launch Party will include a demonstration of the new resource, and remarks by Dr. Donald Lindberg, Director of the National Library of Medicine. Light refreshments will be served.
Please be aware that during the duration of this event, there will be some noise generated on the 4th floor of the library. Quiet study space is available on the library’s second floor, and patrons may also reserve a study room. Thank you for your understanding.
Oregon Health Go Local is now live! Oregon Health Go Local is a project of the Oregon Health & Science University Library that connects users to health services and providers throughout the state. This is a soft launch with promotion to follow in the coming months. Volunteers and library staff are still working to input resources into the database. If you would like to suggest a resource to be included in Oregon Health Go Local, please use the Suggest a Resource form or send us an e-mail at golocal@ohsu.edu.
Oregon Health Go Local is possible thanks to the dedication and hard work of numerous volunteers and partnering agencies including the Oregon State Library, University of Washington’s Regional Medical Library, 211info, staff and volunteers at Oregon Health & Science University Library, and community volunteers.
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.
Bleary-eyed and nursing my coffee I was perked to attention Thanksgiving-eve morning when I heard “About 2 million Americans every month lose their health insurance.” The story was an NPR piece on Morning Edition called Does Losing Your Job Mean Losing Your Healthcare? The speaker was Karen Pollitz, Project Director of the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University. For perspective, 2 million is 54% Oregon’s population (3.7 million according to the 2006 census).
This staggering number means that people all over the United States will be in even greater need to find health services. Without health insurance and with unemployment on the rise, finding clinics and providers who offer low cost and sliding scale services will be of even greater import for those who need medical care, but cannot afford it.
We are working to include this kind of information about the clinics and services into Oregon Health Go Local. Currently, the Oregon Health Go Local database has about 60 records that indicate a service provider offers low cost or sliding scale services. If you know of a provider that offers a similar payment options, please let us know; we can check to make sure we have that provider in our database, and also add that information if we didn’t already know. Please send an e-mail to Emily if you’d like to suggest a provider. (fordem@ohsu.edu)
October and November have been busy months for Oregon Health Go Local—trips to Corvallis, The Dalles, and Athena have sprinkled our autumn.
Trips to Corvallis included Todd Hannon and Emily Ford’s poster presentation at the Oregon Public Health Association Conference; meetings with Go Local volunteers from the Corvallis Benton County Public Library, Salem Hospital, and PeaceHealth in Eugene.
At the Eastern Oregon Library Association Meeting Todd Hannon, Oregon Health Go Local Principal Investigator, presented an educational session on using MedlinePlus and the free resources of the National Library of Medicine.
In the Dalles Emily trained three volunteers from the Planetree Resource Library.
Hello! I’m Anne Hepburn and I’m so excited to be working with Emily Ford on the Oregon Go Local project. As a graduate student of Library Science at Emporia State University, this is such a valuable learning experience for me. This project allows me to use the concepts from class for real world applications. I am employing critical thinking skills when assigning subject terms, making sure to always keep the end user in mind. Consumer health resources are often lacking in our underserved communities. The Go Local project aims to provide a clearinghouse of free health information to all Oregon communities; making it easier for the patient to find the specialist, clinic, or service that fits their need. I am so thrilled to be a part of the Go Local team.
You can contact Anne at hepburna@ohsu.edu
Another milestone for Oregon Health Go Local is that Project Director, Emily Ford, has been funded by OHSU to stay on another 3 months. This extension will enable Emily to see that Oregon Health Go Local gets up and running, and to promote and educate Oregon communities about the site after it goes live. This extension would not have occurred without OHSU’s institutional support of outreach projects such as Oregon Health Go Local, as well as the continued support of the OHSU Library leadership.
Oregon Health Go Local is pleased to announce that 211Lane generously donated their data to be included in the Oregon Health Go Local database. Having this information from 211Lane means that Oregon Health Go Local will be able to represent the communities of Lane County. We have gained yet another solid community partnership that will help to create a healthier Oregon.
In addition to the 211Lane data, Oregon Health Go Local also received data from the Oregon Board of Naturopathic Examiners. This data acquisition will help to ensure that Oregon Health Go Local represents not just traditional medicine and health services, but complementary health services as well.
As of November 26th, 2008, the Oregon Health Go Local database has:
Autumn has been a busy time. 15 new volunteers have received training and begun working on Oregon Health Go Local records in the past two months. This alone has doubled our volunteer numbers!
During the winter months Oregon Health Go Local will begin to blossom. Our priorities are to be able to finish indexing the most pertinent records for this database (hospitals, public clinics, primary care services, immunization programs, etc.) and to be able to release a database by the end of February. If we hunker down, we’ll be able to reach this goal. Look for an update on our progress towards this deadline in the December 2008—January 2009 Oregon Health Go Local E-Newsletter!
The past two months have been a whirlwind of activity for Oregon Health Go Local. The successes we’ve experienced would not have been possible without help. So thanks to the following:
June Sedarbaum at 211Lane
Oregon Board of Naturopathic Examiners
Michele Spatz, Director, Planetree Resource Library
Carrie Ottow, Shannon Bronson, and John Flynn from the Corvallis Benton County Public library
Bev Schriver of PeaceHealth Oregon
Paul Howard of Salem Hospital
From the OHSU University Librarian
I began working at the OHSU Library in August. In my previous position, I served as the Principal Investigator for Iowa Go Local which launched last spring. It was tremendously satisfying to be involved in a project that links MedlinePlus users to health service providers and organizations in the State of Iowa. As my family and I settle into our new home in the Pacific Northwest, I am happy to know that we will soon be able to join other Oregonians in using Oregon Health Go Local to find health services providers.
It takes a tremendous amount of work to create the database for Oregon Health Go Local. I encourage librarians and health providers to partner with the OHSU Library to connect Oregonians to health services. We need your assistance to ensure that health services are identified for every region of the state. Many thanks are due to the individuals and organizations who have already contributed to Oregon Health Go Local. If you are interested in joining the project, please contact Todd Hannon, Principal Investigator. hannont@ohsu.edu
Chris Shaffer, MS, AHIP, University Librarian
Oregon Health & Science University Library
Where We’ve Been
I don’t know where the time has gone! It’s already been six months since I started my work as Project Director for Oregon Health Go Local. August and September were busy months with travel, conferences, presentations, volunteer trainings, and acquiring more data.
Oregon Health Go Local Exhibit at the Oregon Rural Health Conference, 2008.
In the past few months we’ve traveled to The Dalles, Prineville, Corvallis and Bend. In The Dalles I gave a presentation to several clinicians and representatives from area social service agencies about Go Local. In Prineville we met with the Libraries of Eastern Oregon (LEO) Board to discuss and demonstrate Oregon Health Go Local. It was great to connect with library directors from that region, and to put names to faces.
In Corvallis we were able to meet with our volunteers from the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library to get the ball rolling and get resources from the Willamette Valley worked into Go Local.
And finally, in Bend we exhibited Oregon Health Go Local with our new Oregon Health Go Local Exhibit! During the conference we attended some very interesting sessions about rural health care. We learned about the 2008 Oregon Certified Rural Health Clinics Report (pdf) from Troy Soenon. In addition, we heard about Community Health Improvement Partnership (CHIP) projects all over the state as well as from a panel of Oregon Legislators about policy and health care.
All of these trips are just the beginning for us. After the Oregon Health Go Local goes live—we’re still hoping late February—we’ll be out and about the state providing clinician and consumer education about using Oregon Health Go Local and MedlinePlus. If you know of any spring events we should attend, please let me know. (fordem@ohsu.edu).
Emily Ford, MLS & MIS
Oregon Health Go Local Project Director
Fordem@ohsu.edu
Milestones
As of October 8th the Oregon Health Go Local database has 3,369 records! This growth is in part to adding community partners to this project. The Malheur County Commission on Families and Children generously donated us records for inclusion into Oregon Health Go Local from their Malheur County Community Resource Guide.
Since the beginning of this project it has been a goal for Oregon Health Go Local to reflect both traditional and complementary medicine practices. A large step towards this goal was the recent inclusion of chiropractic licensee data from the Oregon Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
Volunteer Training
Two more groups of volunteers have been trained and have begun working to assist in the indexing of Oregon Health Go Local records. In support of these volunteers we’ve been working to create some videos that will help to be refreshers on how to use the input system.
If you’d like to learn more about volunteering for Oregon Health Go Local, contact Emily Ford, Oregon Health Go Local Project Director. fordem@ohsu.edu
Looking Ahead
We have more travel and volunteer trainings in store for October and November. Look for a report on our attendance to the Oregon Public Health Association Conference a poster session, a trip to Athena to the Eastern Oregon Library Association meeting, and more in our next newsletter.
Additional Thanks
A tremendous thank you to the following:
From the Principal Investigator
National Public Radio’s Think Out Loud program recently aired a segment titled “No Doctor in the House” which chronicled Oregon’s physician shortage and the challenges this causes for rural communities across the state. The story mentioned that “John Day has lost three of their six family physicians in the last nine months and that individuals in Reedsport “have to drive 40 miles to Coos bay to have a doctor deliver a baby.” The continuation of this trend is making it more difficult for rural Oregonians to locate convenient and appropriate care. Oregon Health Go Local will play a significant role in helping Oregonians figure out where they can go to get appropriate care.
Oregon Health Go Local will be a web-based statewide directory of health service providers. One unique and very exciting component of the project will be its integration with MedlinePlus health topics. Individuals will be able to use Medline to find current and authoritative information about hundreds of health topics in English and Spanish. They will then be able to seamlessly link to community health services related to their health topic. If you’d like to make a contribution to this project and are interested in helping to connect health service providers in your community with Medline Plus health topics we could use your assistance and would like to talk with you.
The development of Oregon Health Go Local is underway and I’m more excited about the project now than I have ever been. We’ve spoken with people from all over the state who represent a wide variety of organizations and virtually everyone has been uniformly enthusiastic about the value of Oregon Health Go Local. We hope to harness this excitement by developing partnerships with organizations and individuals. If you have or know of data about providers of health services in your community, please get in touch with Oregon Health Go Local’s Project Director, Emily Ford by phone (503.494.3915) or e-mail (fordem@ohsu.edu). The project is slated to go live later this year.
Todd Hannon
Oregon Health Go Local
Principal Investigator
Milestones
Oregon Health Go Local is at 2,253 records and counting!
In the past few months our database has boomed as we have received data and help from the following individuals and organizations:
Emily Ford, Oregon Health Go Local Project Director, presented the project to Emporia State University School of Library Science Portland Cohort students in June.
Volunteer Training
It’s official! Volunteer training for Oregon Health Go Local has begun and so far we have librarians, library staff and library school student volunteers learning the ins and the outs of using the Go Local input system, the taxonomy, and putting those indexing and abstracting skills to work.
Here’s what some of them say about it:
“I am excited to be part of the Oregon Health Go Local project because I feel this is a great way for me to get some experience in the field while doing something that will have lasting value for my community.” –Erica
“I think Go Local will offer a much-needed resource that will prove to be invaluable.” –Joan
“Access to health care and health information are very important, but all too often there are significant barriers to that access. I am really happy that I can be part of a project that opens access to more people by providing a centralized resource directory.” –Terra
If you want to volunteer by either identifying resources for Oregon Health Go Local and/or to index resources in Oregon Health Go Local please contact Emily Ford at fordem@ohsu.edu. She’s particularly looking for volunteers in Southern, Eastern, and Central Oregon!
Looking Ahead
As Oregon Health Go Local moves forward, we keep doing new things. Below find some of our planned promotional and work activities. If you know of an activity we should know about, please let us know by e-mailing Emily Ford at fordem@ohsu.edu.
September:
October:
Additional Thanks
Oregon Health Go Local also wants to extend appreciation to the following individuals and agencies:
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.
