Area Librarians Join Forces to Improve Health of Community

From left: Area librarians Michael Roche, Joanne Pariseau, Randy Lague, Rachel Lafont, Barb Whitehill, Linda Bussiere, Carol Nicholson and Geegee Zaveson (seated at computer) meet at North Country Hospital.

What do public, hospital, and school librarians have in common? They all want to collaborate to get health information out to the community so that people will be better able to make wise decisions about health care.

Recently a number of local librarians met at North Country Hospital’s library at the invitation of hospital librarian, Geegee Zaveson. Together with North Country’s Community Relations director, Nancy Goss, and Wellness Center Manager, Mary Perkins, the librarians brainstormed ways in which health information could be made more easily available to the community. Librarians who were able to attend included Rachel Lafont, Albany Public Library; Joanne Pariseau, Jones Memorial Library, Orleans; Carol Nicholson and Linda Bussiere, Goodrich Library, Newport; Barb Whitehill, Dailey Memorial Library, Derby; Harriette Phillips-Hamblett, Lake Region; and Michael Roche, Librarian, Northeast Vermont Regional Library.

One successful way to get information out to the public has been through the North Country Coalition of Libraries Big Read Wagon Bookmobile. Randy Lague, the public library on wheels’ traveling librarian, makes monthly stops at senior housing units, schools, and day cares offering up information through books, audiocassettes, videos, puppets, and health information pamphlets. The health pamphlets are changed every few weeks so community members can learn about different health care issues.

The librarians all agreed that having a place in their library offering a variety of health information would be helpful to library patrons who are seeking out information about health-related topics. More and more people are taking ownership for their own health information and getting up-to-date, reliable information is the key to being an informed patient. Being educated about one’s own health can pave the way for an improved doctor/patient relationship and make appointments go more smoothly.

Another avenue for accessing health information is on the worldwide web. The internet offers a vast array of medical information, but being sure the website is offering accurate information can be a problem. Many computer users have not had training in how to search the web for trustworthy medical websites and this could be another area addressed in the local library. North Country Hospital has its own website which features links to doctor-approved sites that give trustworthy information. The NCH website (www.nchsi.org) features Medlineplus (www.medlineplus.gov), which has the latest medical information, as well as the hospital library card catalogue and other selected sites. Many people aren’t aware that the hospital library is open to the public and people may request interlibrary loans (books that may be obtained from another library).

Being that the hospital website is constantly updated, the librarians all agreed that this could be a viable source of health information for the public to access. In the future there could be booklists of best books on a variety of subjects, as well as a search engine where specific questions could be asked. The website may be accessed from any computer where there is computer access, be it at home or at the local library. The local librarians could feature health information and community education links.

One more avenue for getting health information out to the public could be NEK-TV which is our local public access television station, Channel 14. The library group will discuss how we can best use this local resource in the future.

Taking charge of one’s own health involves becoming “health literate.” Health information is available, and this group of caring librarians wants to help point the community in the right direction.

If you’re interested in being part of this collaborative effort or for more information you can contact Geegee Zaveson at North Country Hospital, 334-3256.

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