NNLM AoU Community Award: BE WELL at NPL: Health Information

BE WELL at NPL advances health literacy in the Davidson County by providing access and outreach to free wellness programs and health resources.
BE WELL at NPL aligns its activities with the local health priority areas in Davidson County’s Community Health Improvement Plan. Notably, NPL
partners with Get Covered TN to facilitate on-site health insurance enrollment each year, which has become a nationally recognized model for public
libraries. BE WELL at NPL plans to launch new services that will help address the high rates of uncontrolled hypertension in Nashville, by making selfmonitoring
more accessible. In collaboration with American Heart Association and local health clinics, NPL will begin checking out home blood pressure
kits to library card holder. Since 2016, BE WELL at NPL has seen growth in services, attendance, and outcomes. Programming and attendance
increased three-fold in the first three years, from 310 programs in year one to 1,035 programs by year three. By 2019, BE WELL at NPL was delivering
over 2,000 wellness programs throughout the library system, with 31,000 in attendance. Of the 400 survey respondents, 95% indicated that the wellness
programs were easily accessible either due to location, safe environment, friendly staff, or the fact that it was free.
While programming slowed during the
pandemic closures, NPL still delivered 381 virtual wellness programs through Facebook, YouTube, and Zoom, with 6,203 viewers. Relying heavily on
online content during the closure, BE WELL at NPL published 20 wellness-themed articles that were read 6,000 times.