Planning for the health and safety of those attending mass gatherings is an enormous challenge for local officials. Mass gatherings are defined as those attracting more than 1,000 participants and include events like the Olympics, Super Bowl, religious services conducted by the Pope, state funerals, and presidential inaugurations. Public health concerns range from ensuring adequate drinking water, food safety, first aid, and toilet facilities to planning for the extremes of possible major accidents, dangerous weather and even terrorist threats.

 The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has compiled a Web page of links to information on the public health aspects of planning for all kinds of mass gatherings, http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro/massgatherings.html. These resources include a search of PubMed for medical journal article citations as well as documents from government and other sources. Topics include preparedness for large numbers of casualties and management of disease outbreaks. For more information on the Disaster Information Management Research Center at NLM, please visit http://disasterinfo.nlm.nih.gov/. [scb

The Radiation Event Medical Management System (REMM) http://remm.nlm.gov/ is available for download to mobile devices (Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Palm) with selected key files from the full online version. REMM is produced by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Office of Planning and Emergency Operations, in cooperation with the National Library of Medicine, Division of Specialized Information Services, with subject matter experts from the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and many US and international consultants. For more see http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/nd08/nd08_sis_reprint_remm.html [NLM New files for the week of Dec 29, 2008]

WISER 4.2 is now available! You may download it from the WISER web site http://wiser.nlm.nih.gov/ , or access the on-line version, WebWISER. http://webwiser.nlm.nih.gov/ WISER is a system designed to assist first responders in hazardous material incidents. WISER provides a wide range of information on hazardous substances, including substance identification support, physical characteristics, human health information, and containment and suppression advice. [NLM-WISER-L]

DisasterAssistance.gov
http://www.disasterassistance.gov/
DisasterAssistance.gov is an easy to use website that consolidates disaster information in one place. Currently, 17 U.S. Government agencies, which sponsor more than 40 forms of disaster assistance, contribute to the website. You can apply for many forms of assistance with a single, online application. Your application information is shared only with those agencies that you identify and is protected by the highest levels of security. Ultimately, DisasterAssistance.gov will speed the application process and allow you to check the progress of your application online. [[DISASTR-OUTREACH-LIB ]

Ready or Not 2008
http://healthyamericans.org/assets/files/bioterror-report-2008.pdf
Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released the sixth annual Ready or Not? Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report, which finds that progress made to better protect the country from disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and bioterrorism is now at risk, due to budget cuts and the economic crisis. In addition, the report concludes that major gaps remain in many critical areas of preparedness, including surge capacity, rapid disease detection, and food safety. [MRC National Listserv][scb]

This three-day summit attempted to showcase the collective contribution of NIH in the development of new knowledge in the Science of Eliminating Health Disparities; highlight the progress of NIH minority health and health disparities research activities to improve prevention, diagnostic, and treatment methods; increase awareness and understanding of disparities in health; showcase best-practice models in research, capacity-building, outreach, and integrated strategies to find solutions to health disparities; and identify gaps in health disparities research. View the webcast at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=3091 [scb]

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/news/odds_apha_blueribbon.html
The National Library of Medicine’s traveling exhibition, Against the Odds: Making a Difference in Global Health http://apps.nlm.nih.gov/againsttheodds/index.cfm , earned a best exhibit blue ribbon at the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2008 meeting. Schools of public health that would like to host the traveling exhibition can contact the Association of Schools of Public Health http://www.asph.org/index.cfm. The Association is coordinating the tour of the exhibit to schools of public health with support from the Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Work Force http://phpartners.org/. [scb]

“Health and Wellness Guide for the Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services”
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), in partnership with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). Oct 2008.
http://www.nvfc.org/files/documents/HealthWellness_guide.pdf
This Guide provides the rationale and suggestions for successfully implementing a health and wellness program in the volunteer fire and emergency services. It also addresses many common roadblocks. The chapters are divided to help volunteer departments develop a program from the ground up. [posted on the Medical Reserve Corps listserv] scb

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Household Products Database has been updated and now includes 8152 brand name products, 2876 ingredients, and 375 manufacturers. In addition, 1634 products are now linked to the complete Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).

The Household Products Database is a consumer guide that provides information on the potential health effects of chemicals contained in more than 6,000 common household products used inside and around the home. This resource helps scientists and consumers learn about ingredients in brand-name products.

To stay up to date on other changes and new developments in NLM databases, visit the Division of Specialized Information Services. [da]

Do you want to strengthen the partnership between your community and your public library? Do you want to demonstrate the value of public libraries in supporting sustainable communities? The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) is offering grant funding for projects focusing on using the public library to address community priorities and issues. ICMA will provide a total of $500,000 in Public Library Innovation Grants to cities, towns, and counties. Individual grants will likely range from $25,000 to $75,000. For more information on the grants visit http://icma.org/main/ns.asp?nsid=4109&hsid=1&scid=25. [da]

October 15
http://www.nlaad.org/
HIV/AIDS is the third leading cause of death among Hispanic men ages 35 to 44 and the fourth leading cause of death among Hispanic women in the same age group. [From Hispanics and HIV Testing - English http://www.nlaad.org/promotehivtesting.php]

Additional Resources:
AIDSinfo http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/other/specialityPage.aspx?pageID=4
infoSIDA http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/infoSIDA/
US Dept. of Health and Human Services: http://www.hhs.gov/aidsawarenessdays/days/latino/index.html [scb]

Access Transformed: Building a Primary Care Workforce for the 21st Century
National Association of Community Health Centers - August 2008
Available online PDF [40p.] at: http://www.nachc.com/client/documents/ACCESS%20Transformed%20full%20report.PDF

For Immediate Release
August 11,2008
NACHC Issues New Study on Primary Care Workforce

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Though access to primary care protects health and cuts costs, a study released today finds there aren’t enough primary care doctors and nurses at health centers to meet the need, with some areas having almost none - a situation that cannot be solved just by expanding health insurance coverage. The study finds the availability of a primary care workforce depends on where you live, and primary care clinicians are not locating in areas that need them most, especially low-income communities.

Press Release: http://www.nachc.com/pressrelease-detail.cfm?pressreleaseID=304
You can now listen to the audio news conference on the report, ACCESS TRANSFORMED: Building a Primary Care Workforce for the 21st Century. http://www.fenton.com/nachc081108/7NACHC%20081108.mp3

The report was issued by NACHC, George Washington University, and the Robert Graham Center. [posted on Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, Equity listserv] scb