Assessing the Nation’s Health Literacy: Key Concepts and Findings of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/367/hl_report_2008.pdf
Describes the outcomes of the federal study, NAAL, and how its implications affect the health care of patients with limited health literacy.
Organization: American Medical Association
Date: 2008

Children in Central Cities and Rural Communities Experience High Rates of Poverty
http://carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/FS_RuralChildPoverty_08.pdf
Reports on new data that indicates more than 13 million children are living in poverty, 22 percent of rural children and 25 percent of children living in central cities.
Organization: Carsey Institute
Date: 2008

Place Matters: Challenges and Opportunities in Four Rural Americas
http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/Report_PlaceMatters.pdf
Presents the results from a survey that examined issues facing rural Americans focusing on economic changes, challenges, and realities; migration and demographic changes; religion, trust, and civil institutions; environment, natural resources, and energy; infrastructure and changing populations.
Organization: Carsey Institute
Date: 10 / 2008

Religion, Politics, and the Environment in Rural America
http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/IB-ReligionPolitics08.pdf
Provides data from a survey of rural Americans across the United States regarding their religion, politics, community, and environmental views.
Organization: Carsey Institute
Date: 2008

American Indian and Alaska Native Programs
http://aianp.uchsc.edu/index.htm
Works to promote the health and well-being of American Indians and Alaska Natives through research, training, continuing education, technical assistance, and information dissemination.

Assisted Senior Living
http://www.assistedseniorliving.net/
Strives to help seniors and caregivers locate adequate care and senior living facilities. Site includes options to search by state and type of facility and provides resources for gathering more information on this topic.

[Posted in Rural Assistance Center Human Services Update]

A series of four trifold brochures that focus on health concerns for each of the four federally designated racial and ethnic populations have been updated. Take a look at the PDF files and download them for use at your institution - have as handouts for customers, use them at trainings and health fairs, email the link to other community and public health organizations! http://nnlm.gov/mcr/resources/community/minority.html#A4

National Organization on Disability Invites Entries for Accessible America Award Program
Deadline: December 31, 2008
The National Organization on Disability ( http://www.nod.org/ )’s  Accessible America Award program is a $25,000 award competition  open to all cities and towns across the United States. The prog-  ram seeks to recognize and promote replication of exemplary  practices that communities use to facilitate the comprehensive involvement of citizens with disabilities in community life.  http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015634/nodorg

Kaiser Family Foundation Invites Applications for Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program
Deadline: December 12, 2008
The Kaiser Family Foundation’s ( http://www.kff.org/ ) Barbara  Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program brings talented college  seniors and recent graduates to Washington, D.C., where they are  placed in congressional offices and learn about health policy  issues, with a focus on issues affecting racial and ethnic minority and underserved communities.  http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015638/kfforg

Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative
Deadline: December 4, 2008 (Brief Proposals)
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s ( http://www.rwjf.org/ )  Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative generates,  disseminates, and translates research to improve the quality of  patient care and supports interdisciplinary teams of scholars  from nursing and other disciplines to address gaps in knowledge  about the relationship between nursing and healthcare quality.  http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015639/rwjforg

Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation Invites Nominations for Women’s Rights Prize
Deadline: December 15, 2008
The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation ( http://gruberprizes.org/ )  is accepting nominations for the Women’s Rights Prize, a gold  medal and unrestricted cash award of $500,000 that honors coura-  geous efforts to help achieve gender equality. The prize honors individuals who have made significant contributions to human rights that advance the rights of women and girls around the world. http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015648/gruberprizes

Copyright (c) 2000-2008, the Foundation Center. All rights  reserved. Permission to use, copy, and/or distribute this  document in whole or in part for non-commercial purposes  without fee is hereby granted provided that this notice and  appropriate credit to the Foundation Center is included in all copies.

A new version of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Drug Information Portal was released in October.  The portal now covers over 16,000 drugs.
http://druginfo.nlm.nih.gov
The Drug Information Portal is a free Web resource from the NLM that provides an informative, user friendly entry-way to current drug information for over 16,000 drugs. Links to sources span the breadth of NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies. Current information regarding consumer health, clinical trials, AIDS–related drug information, MeSH pharmacological actions, PubMed biomedical literature, and physical properties and structure is easily retrieved by searching on a drug name. A varied selection of focused topics in medicine and drug–related information is also available from displayed subject headings.

A short feedback form is being distributed and open to anyone in the MidContinental (Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Missouri)  region who wants to comment on the resources and services of the RML and the NLM .The form is open October 7th, 2008 through November 4th, 2008. Click here to provide feedback : http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=VfkWUiHiVHJ9jJFLq1lgHg_3d_3d

From a blog reader, a series of nurse videos freely available online:

Nurses working with Health Care Without Harm’s rBGH Food Work Group have created three short videos to help nurses understand how the use of rBGH, a synthetic hormone found in dairy products, impacts human health. Nurses play an important role to protect and prevent harm to patients, health care workers and visitors. Also, the videos will help guide nurses to advocate for healthier food choices in their health care facilities.

Human & Animal Health - Part 1
Learn about the health problems associated to recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) or rBST and how to apply the Precautionary Principle and the ANA’s Precautionary Approach to protect health. This clip also discusses countries where rBGH is banned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6pDvnoT_l0

rBGH & Nursing - Part 2
rBGH & Nursing: This clip discusses what nurses can do about synthetic hormones in dairy products. Learn about the American Nurses Association’s resolution, American Medical Association’s position, what you can do today, and how to engage others to promote the use of rBGH-free dairy products in your personal and professional life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sicQXOhXpUU

rBGH Nurse Toolkit - Part 3
rBGH - Nurse Tool Kit at http://www.noharm.org/us/nurses/rBgh will provide nurses with tools to advocate for patients, employees and visitors to have healthier food in health care facilities. Health Care Without Harm, an international coalition is transforming the health care sector to prevent harm to patients, public health and the environment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbvfJYRkg2k

To learn more about this topic and others, join Health Care Without Harm’s Healthy Food in Health Care Listserv at http://www.noharm.org/us/food/listserv

A Rexburg, Idaho, woman who spends her days helping doctors, nurses, and patients is also using her skills to help one of the most important people in her life, her son. Teresa Murdock has been working as Madison Memorial Hospital’s medical librarian for the past 15 years. Just three months ago, Murdock’s 19-year-old son Chance was diagnosed with an extremely rare type of terminal cancer…. http://www.kidk.com/news/local/33413104.html
KIDK-TV, Idaho Falls, Oct. 27 [posted in AL Direct October 29, 2008]

Clinics Across the United States Will Boost Flu Vaccination Rates in November
Despite extensive outreach efforts, less than 40 percent of adults 50 years of age and older receive their annual flu vaccination. How can we ensure older Americans get vaccinated this flu season? By reaching this growing population where they likely will be assembling in great numbers—at the polls.
Nearly 250 flu shot clinics will be taking place at or near polling sites as part of an innovative nonpartisan program called Vote & Vax. The project provides vaccines to boost older adults’ vaccination rates at a location and time that is convenient for them. http://www.rwjf.org/vulnerablepopulations/product.jsp?id=35648&c=EMC-CA144 [posted on RWJF Content Alerts]

An initial study of ICMA members found some communities using their public libraries for compelling new projects, like providing services for teen and immigrant residents and supporting recycling and public safety. Over the next two years, with the help of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ICMA (International City County Managers Association) intends to multiply those novel practices and demonstrate the value of public libraries in supporting sustainable communities.

In November 2008, local governments will be able to apply for an ICMA Public Library Innovation Grant. Grants will be 18 months in length, and will focus on using the public library to address community priorities and issues. During the project, 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.
More information at ICMA website http://icma.org/main/ns.asp?nsid=4109&hsid=1&scid=25 [posted on ALA Outreach Listserv]

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/news/panflu_webinar.html
On October 29, 2008, at 1:00 pm ET, Secretary Leavitt will provide formal remarks regarding the Nation’s pandemic planning effort. He will then join a roundtable discussion with our special guests to discuss the Nation’s level of pandemic preparedness and related issues.