Health Bytes with Region 3 monthly webinar series from the NNLM Region 3 features expert guest speakers presenting on topics of interest to all our users, from librarians to public health practitioners, educators, clinicians, and the public. Topics will be scheduled according to audience interest, seasonal applicability, and speaker availability. For more information, contact: NNLM Region 3, nnlmregion3@unthsc.edu.
Objectives
Learning Objectives
Understand the general concept and apply new topic information as appropriate to their work;
Identify NLM resources and other databases to use to find additional information on the topic;
Identify new strategies and technologies and how to apply them to their institution.
The capacity of underserved populations to effectively engage in health care and gain empowerment in their health (health activation) can significantly reduce health disparities yet may be hindered by continued experiences with discrimination and mistrust. For communities, health, and human service providers to begin effectively addressing health disparities, it is critical to understand the complex systems, current and historical structural inequities, and sociocultural factors that influence residents’ access and engagement with care.
Newly released AI tools are poised to dramatically disrupt multiple industries, including healthcare and libraries. We’ll explore numerous healthcare applications that use AI, both current and in-development - from a new industry-saving “bot workforce” to self-driving microscopes.
Prime Time Nourish was developed in 2021 as the culmination of a multi-year project exploring food as both fuel for our bodies and fodder for rich, intergenerational discussions among the audiences that attend Prime Time Family Reading programs. Launched in 1991 by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, Prime Time Family Reading has since reached more than 50,000 families in over 40 partner states. Families who engage in the story-sharing, discussion, and center-based play sparked by Prime Time Nourish are able to articulate the significance of food in their lives and communities, and to make informed and thoughtful decisions about how they put themselves in relationship with food.
Myanmar refugees in Dallas experience multiple challenges to their successful resettlement and consequent social integration. The researcher will present the process and findings of 5 stages of the community participatory research project with Myanmar refugee women resettling in Dallas, Texas.
The objective of this pilot study was to determine the health needs of dairy workers and the feasibility of on-farm health risk screenings in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains. Findings suggest there is a need and interest for on-farm health risk screenings and education among immigrant dairy workers.
A high-quality systematic review is the most reliable source of evidence to help clinical decision making. This presentation will briefly discuss the steps, best practices, and strategies for conducting a systematic review in a smaller library setting or for a solo librarian with multiple job roles in an academic medical center.
Learn how utilizing an integrated approach to primary care funded by Value-based Care, a newer payment model which financially incentivizes effective and quality treatment, can improve health outcomes, patient and staff satisfaction, and reduce overall cost of care in senior health clinics.
Learn how a rural library partnered with healthcare providers to launch a telehealth program, utilize a Community Health Worker, lead disaster response efforts, and provide digital health literacy training.
Indigenous students in the United States regularly missed school while on their “moon times” because they did not have period supplies. Informed by her work with schools and community-based organizations across North America, Eva Marie Carney will discuss the reach and impact of “period poverty” -- or inadequate access to menstrual hygiene products.
Forming partnerships, thinking of grant ideas, and finding the time to execute projects can feel daunting, especially when it isn’t clear where to start. Gibson D. Lewis Library at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth dedicates full-time staff to outreach and community engagement, an intentional focus for over 30 years. Grants have been a central part of our efforts since 2002. This session will walk through a practical process of identifying grant ideas, provide real-life examples, and explore learned insights. Together we will demystify the creative process and gain confidence in building a grant that works for everyone’s situation.
With the almost paradoxical shift towards decreasing physical footprints and funding and increasing satellite campuses (and thus constituencies), academic libraries are facing pressure to - in any combination - consolidate, launch, or close physical spaces and move towards digital collections. In the health sciences, this situation is compounded by the rapidly rising cost and amount of electronic health information, the urgency to open academic medical centers in areas with needs for health professionals, and pressures of programs and their professional learners.
It's hard for people to navigate complex systems to obtain basic needs when faced with life changing events. The Kansas City Public Library recognized that members of their community would benefit from a program that helps pave the way. To fill the need, KCPL launched the Community Resource Mission. The Community Resource Team provides individuals experiencing life challenges an inclusive place to access the connections, support, and services they need. Made up of social workers, education specialists and librarians, the team offers help to community members in a variety of ways, through multiple channels. This presentation will share how Community Resources came to be at the Kansas City Public Library, what the program consists of and how it has expanded since the pandemic and what the plans are for the future.
Approximately 50 million pounds of pesticides are applied to corn and beans in Iowa annually. As troubles of escalating pesticide use in Iowa and the Midwest are becoming more visible (weed resistance, pesticide drift, crop damage, etc.), there is a paucity of easily accessible informational resources for Iowans about the environmental and public health impacts of pesticides in our state. Furthermore, the system of agriculture that relies so heavily on synthetic chemical inputs has many other implications on ecological sustainability that ultimately impact human health. This presentation will help attendees think critically about the downstream implications of current agricultural practices in the Midwest and their impacts on human and environmental health.
Noise-induced hearing loss is a preeminent concern among musicians, educators, and researchers worldwide. National health standards for tertiary institutions accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) mandate that faculty, students, and staff be educated on hearing health fundamentals. Similar standards exist in Texas for junior high and high school educators. This presentation will introduce noise-induced hearing loss, current standards, prevention measures and ways to integrate prevention methods in the music classroom.
Implicit bias is a natural survival instinct inherent in human beings. However, when implicit bias is not addressed in a healthcare setting, health disparities, gaps in care, and discrimination can occur in clinical settings. Algorithmic bias in healthcare still exists today, and as new technologies and digital innovations are introduced into the care continuum, leaders must acknowledge that many of the foundations the tools are built upon contain damaging bias that negatively impacts patient care. Taking deliberate steps to mitigate these biases can reduce health disparities and allow the promise of artificial intelligence to be fully realized in improving patient outcomes.
In 2009, San Francisco Public Library created the first dedicated, full-time position for a helping professional. Since then, library social work has spread to over four dozen systems around the United States. This session will introduce library social work, its history, and emerging best practices. We will consider the library as a protective factor in the lives of vulnerable populations. Special attention will be paid to the need for person-centered, trauma-informed lenses into the university education of future librarians.
There is a direct relationship between our environments and our health. Our knowledge about the role of indoor exposures and human health has grown exponentially in the past 50 years. Children, because of their developmental status, are uniquely susceptible to certain chemical exposures, many of which are anthropogenic. This presentation will provide a case example of a multidisciplinary approach designed to explore, identify, and address some of these exposures, particularly the ones known to have adverse health effects in order to improve child health in the Kansas City Metro Area.
