HealthReach - Health Information for Non-English and Second Language Speakers

HealthReach started as a resource for refugees ("RHIN") but is now expanded to meet the needs of the broader non-English speaking and second-language audience. It offers multilingual consumer health and patient education materials on individual topics and in a few special collections. Some material is in English, aimed at those who serve a specific population. 

MedlinePlus remains a valuable consumer health resource that focuses more on specific conditions and offers information in multiple languages. Entering a search term such as "Asian health" there will also result in a list of resources. Both databases are services of the National Library of Medicine.

Websites Referenced

https://healthreach.nlm.nih.gov/

https://healthreach.nlm.nih.gov/History-of-RHIN

https://medlineplus.gov/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/

Cochrane Evidence Aid: Resources for Earthquake and Storm Recovery

Emergency fracture and physical trauma care, wound therapy, and use of lay workers are some of the systematic review topics currently being offered free by Cochrane Evidence Aid: Resources for Earthquakes in response to the recent 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the Philippines. Decision-makers will appreciate these evidence-based systematic Cochrane Reviews that evaluate “healthcare topics that have been identified as important in the aftermath of a major earthquake.”

11-13-2013 update: sadly, the Philippines has also been struck by Typhoon Haiyan. In response, Evidence Aid is now offering storm-related resources, too.

"Evidence Aid seeks to highlight which interventions work, which don’t work, which need more research, and which, no matter how well meaning, might be harmful; and to provide this information to agencies and people planning for, or responding to, disasters."

Websites ReferencedEvidence Aid http://www.evidenceaid.org
Cochrane Library http://www.thecochranelibrary.com/details/collection/587779/Cochrane-Evidence-Aid-resources-for-earthquakes.html
Philippines earthquake 10-16-2013 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/world/asia/death-toll-in-philippines-earthquake-rises.html?_r=0
Storm Disaster Recovery Resources http://www.evidenceaid.org/resources-following-typhoon-haiyan-in-the-philippines/

Crisis Standards of Care: A Toolkit for Indicators and Triggers

Standards of care during a crisis is the topic of a newly released pre-publication report by the Institute of Medicine. Crisis Standards of Care: A Toolkit for Indicators and Triggers, National Academies Press, 2013, is a free 217 page, 2.7 MB download.

“This report focuses on indicators (measurements or predictors of change in demand for health care services or availability of resources) and triggers (decision points about adaptations to health care service delivery) that guide operational decision making about providing care during public health and medical emergencies and disasters. It includes a discussion toolkit designed to facilitate discussions about indicators and triggers within and across health care organizations, health care coalitions, emergency response agencies, and jurisdictions." p.xi

This and related documents are included in the Resource Guide database at DIMRC, the Disaster Information Management Research Center.

Websites referenced
http://iom.edu/Reports/2013/Crisis-Standards-of-Care-A-Toolkit-for-Indicators-and-Triggers.aspx
http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2009/DisasterCareStandards.aspx
http://www.iom.edu/reports/2012/crisis-standards-of-care-a-systems-framework-for-catastrophic-disaster-response.aspx
http://disasterlit.nlm.nih.gov/search/?searchTerms=crisis+standards+of+care&search=Search&searchType=exact&publicationType=-1
http://disasterlit.nlm.nih.gov/
http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc.html

Preparedness 101: Are You Ready for a Zombie Apocalypse?

This award-winning CDC campaign points out the basics of personal disaster preparedness in a fun way. While it focuses on a zombie apocalypse it provides tips that will help you survive a more likely event. Get a kit, make a plan, be prepared.

Websites referenced:
http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101-zombie-apocalypse/
http://emergency.cdc.gov/preparedness/
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2012pres/03/20120330a.html

International Travel Tip

Tip from a family personally involved in the current Cairo situation:

When you travel - take your e-ticket number (13 digits) not just your reservation number. The Internet is down in Cairo and they could not look up the reservation but they could look up the e-ticket number. Also take lots of cash.

PICO Search Site from MEDLINE -- and Other Mobile Device-friendly NLM Resources

NLM's mobile PICO MEDLINE search page has a new location. The page offers a form that helps you clarify your thoughts and compose a workable research question using the categories of Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome. Then the topics are searched in MEDLINE. The page is designed to be mobile-device friendly. More mobile friendly resources, such as MedlinePlus and a couple of disaster-related resources are also available from NLM.



Websites referenced:
http://pubmedhh.nlm.nih.gov/
http://go.usa.gov/xFb
http://pubmedhh.nlm.nih.gov/nlmd/pico/piconew.php

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mobile/

Disaster Resources from Publishers

When a disaster strikes and emergency responders head there to help, they need access to information. Since so much literature is now available online, publishers often generously offer temporary free access to those whose normal sources are unavailable due to destruction of infrastructure and to emergency responders in the hard-hit area.

The Emergency Access Initiative (EAI http://eai.nlm.nih.gov/) managed by the National Library of Medicine is a central point for this project. During the Haiti earthquake the initiative was active for 8 weeks, and it has just closed.

NLM's Disaster Information Management Research Center continues to offer a variety of valuable disaster-related links http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/dimrc.html

Haiti Support -- Information Pages

Several libraries have created web pages full of information relating to Haiti and supporting Haiti in the earthquake disaster.

Brooklyn Public Library in New York
Boston Public Library
University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Also, an in depth health-related page on this is now available from the National Library of Medicine. It includes a section on language materials and will add information on hazards from airborne particles from collapsed buildings.

An earthquake engineering center, MCEER, from the University of Buffalo, also has a Haiti 2010 disaster clearinghouse page. It includes aerial imagery and maps.