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  Project Uncover Health Information Databases
(UNHID)

• Morehouse School of Medicine Library
• Masters of Public Health Program
• Booker T. Washington High School

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Statement of Need

• The staff at the library of the Morehouse School
  of Medicine (MSM) has determined that the need
  exists within its community of students, faculty,
  and surrounding community residents to become
  knowledgeable about the National Library of
  Medicine (NLM) databases.
• This determination is based on observations of
  all three groups over the past four years through
  Library orientations and previous work done in
  the community.

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Project UNHID is designed to

• Promote the use of the National Library of
  Medicine (NLM) consumer health information
  databases among
• students and faculty of the Morehouse School of
  Medicine (MSM) Master of Public Health (MPH)
  Program
• adults and high school students in the community
  adjacent to the schools campus
• public, school, and academic librarians

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This Project seeks to

• Improve health literacy
• Decrease health disparities
• Inform health professionals
• Increase preference for NLM databases

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Partners

• Booker T. Washington High School
• MSM Public Health Program
• MSM Library

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Core Project Team
Role Person Title Duties Timeline
Principal Investigator Cynthia L. Henderson, MILS, AHIP Director, MSM Library CPT Leader, planning, monitor budget, submit reports, assist in training Ongoing from September 2007 June 2008
Co-Investigator Darlene P. Kelly, MSLS Division Head for Information Services, MSM Library Planning, create hands-on component and materials, primary trainer Ongoing from September 2007 June 2008
Co-Investigator Joe Swanson, Jr, MSLS Division Head for Computer Systems, MSM Library Planning, equipment setup, software installation and assist in training Ongoing from September 2007 June 2008
Team Member /Liaison Carter E. Coleman Principal, Booker T. Washington High School Planning and liaison for MPH faculty availability Ongoing from September 2007 June 2008
Team Member/ Liaison Patricia Rodney, PhD Director, MSM MPH Program Assist in training public librarians, assessment and evaluation Ongoing from September 2007 June 2008
Evaluator Roland B. Welmaker, Sr., PhD Librarian III, MSM Library Project assessment and evaluation Ongoing from September 2007 June 2008
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Goal
To reduce health disparities among African
American students and faculty at MSM and
residents in communities adjacent to the campuses
by leading them to understandable information
about their health
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Objectives and Activities

• Enhance the abilities of faculty at MSM to use
  the NLM databases in developing health
  information components in their curriculum
• Two interactive hands-on workshops
• Faculty will be requested to attend both
  workshops

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Objectives and Activities (continued)

• Increase the levels of awareness and use of the
  NLM databases among students at MSM
• Four interactive hands-on student workshops
• Students will be asked to attend at least two of
  the workshops

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Objectives and Activities (continued)

• Increase community awareness of NLM databases so
  that they become the sites of choice in the
  search for authoritative health information
• Four community resident workshops
• Residents will be asked to attend one of the
  workshops

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Objectives and Activities (continued)

• Enhance the abilities of public, school, and
  academic librarians to help library patrons in
  the use of the NLM databases
• Two days of interactive hands-on workshops
• Librarians will be asked to attend both days in
  order to receive Consumer Health Information
  Specialization Certification.

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Project Challenges

• Scheduling of Sessions
• Consistent Communication
• Unavoidable reduction in staff

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Project Impact as of April 30, 2008

• Participation in a Health Fair at Washington High
  School
• Acknowledgement from Washington High Faculty of
  willingness to put use of the NLM databases into
  their science curriculum
• Increased collaboration between the MSM Library
  and the MSM MPH program

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Activities accomplished as of April 30, 2008

• Enhance the abilities of MPH faculty at MSM to
  use the NLM databases in developing health
  information components in their curriculum
• Two interactive hands-on workshops
• Faculty will be requested to attend both
  workshops
• The First MPH Faculty workshop was held March 28,
  2008

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Activities accomplished (continued)

• Increase the levels of awareness and use of the
  NLM databases among MPH students at MSM
• Four interactive hands-on student workshops
• Students will be asked to attend at least two of
  the workshops
• The First MPH Student workshops will be held with
  MPH Faculty participation in August 2008

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Activities accomplished (continued)

• Increase community awareness of NLM databases so
  that they become the sites of choice in the
  search for authoritative health information
• Four community resident workshops
• Eight (8) community resident workshops were held
  in the Booker T. Washington High School in 2007.
  High school students from three (3) chemistry
  classes, two (2) botany classes and three (3)
  physics classes of 10th through 12th graders plus
  three (3) teachers and one (1) paraprofessional
  assistant which made for a total of one hundred
  seventy seven (177) participants trained. A
  total of seven (7) teachers were trained at a
  separate orientation.

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Activities accomplished (continued)

• Enhance the abilities of public, school, and
  academic librarians to help library patrons in
  the use of the NLM databases
• Two days of interactive hands-on workshops
• One (1) interactive hands-on workshop was held in
  the MSM Library Electronic Laboratory for twenty
  (20) public, school, and academic librarians for
  instruction in searching the NLM Consumer Health
  databases, search strategies, and evaluation of
  web sites. The workshop trainers were from ORISE.

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The Next Six Months

• Faculty Workshops - One (1) interactive hands-on
  workshop for thirty (30) faculty members.
• Student Workshops - Four (4) interactive hands-on
  workshops sessions for 100 MPH students.
• Resident Workshops - Four (4) community resident
  workshops will be held in the Booker T.
  Washington High School.
• Librarian Workshops One (1) interactive
  hands-on workshop will be held in the MSM Library
  Electronic Laboratory.

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Sustainability

• Partners will collaborate to hold an annual
  Health Information Literacy Fair at MSM.
• MSM Librarians will provide refresher annual
  training sessions.
• MSM Librarians will also serve in a resource
  capacity after the project and submit articles
  and/or stories to UNCFSP about continuing ehealth
  efforts made by MSM library.

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Evaluation

• Focus Groups
• Pre and Post Test Measures of awareness and use
  of NLM Databases
• Pre and Post Test Measures of preferred sites for
  health information

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Conclusion

• Project UNHID will support health promotion and
  disease prevention and should provide further
  steps towards ensuring good health.

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Acknowledgement
This material is based upon work assisted by a
grant from the National Library of Medicine and
the UNCFSP/NLM-HBCU ACCESS Project. Any
opinions, findings, conclusions or
recommendations expressed in this material are
those of the author(s) and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the National Library of
Medicine or the UNCFSP/NLM-HBCU ACCESS Project.