The Southwest Virginia Health Information Librarians met at the University of Virginia’s Health Sciences Library on Friday, March 7, 2008.  The focus of the meeting was the introduction of NN/LM’s National Emergency Preparedness and Response plan.  Participants had received the following questions in preparation for the meeting:

• list any emergency situations that have or could disrupt patient care at your hospital
• prioritize a list of three services that you feel are most important to your patrons
• prioritize a list of five online resources that you feel are most important to your patrons
• prioritize a list of five print resources that you feel are most important to your patrons
• list any unique resources at your library that would be at risk if your building suffered a disaster
• what information sources that you provide access to would likely be needed by patient care personnel in the event of a disaster?  What services?

The answers to the questionnaire created a lively discussion about the topic, and generated some helpful feedback.   

This past Thursday I was invited to speak at the Middle Atlantic Region (MAR) RAC Meeting in New York City. It was an opportunity for me to meet Angela Ruffin, Head of the NN/LM Network Office of the National Library of Medicine, Kathel Dunn, Associate Director of the Middle Atlantic Region of the NN/LM, and Michelle Volesko Brewer, who helped develop the model MOU featured in the Toolkit. It was such a pleasure meeting Angela, Kathel, and Michelle, and to get to know many of the other participants at the meeting. There is truly a lot of interest in emergency preparedness in the MAR, and I look forward to working with and learning from these colleagues in the future.

Click on the slide image below to see my MAR RAC Meeting presentation:

The trip to New York City also featured a substantial snowfall the morning after the meeting. Fortunately, I was taking the train home to Charlottesville and didn’t have to deal with flight cancellations and delays at area airports. As a result, I was able to take a very pleasant walk through Central Park during the heart of the snowfall. Here’s a picture that I took of a man walking away from an underpass. Note the umbrella and the sculpture of the dog, Balto. Two symbols of emergency preparation and response.