Tribal connections health information outreach: results, evaluation, and challenges.

Full Abstract

In 1997, the National Library of Medicine (NLM), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), initiated a program of intensified outreach to Native Americans, initially focusing on the Pacific Northwest in collaboration with the Pacific Northwest Regional Medical Library (PNRML). This initiative, known as the Tribal Connections Project, emphasized the establishment or strengthening of Internet connections at select Indian reservations and Alaska Native villages and related needs assessment and training. The hope was that these efforts would improve tribal access to health information available via the Internet and the Web. Phase I included sixteen tribal sites--eight in Washington, four in Alaska, two in Montana, and one each in Oregon and Idaho. Phase I results indicate that the project was successful in assessing local needs and building awareness of the Internet, forging new partnerships with and between the participating Indian reservations and Alaska Native villages and other organizations, making real improvements in the information technology (IT) infrastructure and Internet connectivity at fifteen of sixteen sites, and conducting training sessions with several hundred tribal participants across thirteen sites. Most importantly, the project demonstrated the key role of tribal community involvement and empowerment and contributed to development of an outreach evaluation field manual and the evolving concept of community-based outreach. The knowledge gained from Tribal Connections Project Phase I is helping refine and enhance subsequent NLM-sponsored tribal connections and similar community outreach efforts.

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Author information

Author/s: Wood, Fred B (FB); Sahali, Roy (R); Press, Nancy (N); Burroughs, Catherine (C); Mala, Theodore A (TA); Siegel, Elliot R (ER); Rambo, Neil (N); Fuller, Sherrilynne S (SS);

Affiliation: Office of Health Information Programs Development, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20894, USA. fred_wood(-atsign-)nlm.nih.gov

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA (J Med Libr Assoc), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Jan; vol 91 (issue 1) : pp 57-66

Dates: Created 2003/02/05; Completed 2003/05/06; Revised 2008/11/20;

PMID: 12568158, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Community-Institutional Relations
Health Education - organization & administration
Health Planning
Humans
Indians, North American
Information Services - organization & administration
Internet
Libraries, Medical

Libraries, Medical
Medically Underserved Area
Needs Assessment
Northwestern United States
Program Evaluation
Regional Medical Programs - organization & administration
Rural Health Services - organization & administration
Staff Development - organization & administration

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