Anna Ercoli Schnitzer
InfoPoint Librarian
Health Sciences Libraries
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI

Three years in a row at the Asian American Health Fair

The University of Michigan (U of M) Health Sciences Libraries once again staffed a booth at the Asian American Health Fair, giving out reliable MedlinePlus information as well as MedlinePlus pens. On January 31, 2009, we distributed about 50 pens and a multitude of different National Library of Medicine (NLM) brochures, including information from the Asian American Health site: http://asianamericanhealth.nlm.nih.gov/. Once again, the information that was targeted specifically to the Asian American group was very popular. Fair participants also appreciated learning that MedlinePlus information was available in multiple Asian  languages as well as in English.

We were stationed next to a booth staffed by members of the School of Nursing, who were collecting data both for colonoscopy purposes and for determining the incidence of Hepatitis B in the Asian American community. Another nearby booth was that of ENGAGE, the University of Michigan’s portal to clinical trials. Various health checkups were available including: glucose, cholesterol, prostate, breast, glaucoma. Various workshops were available, one example being a yoga demonstration. After a culturally appropriate lunch was served buffet style to participants, there was also a series of simultaneous lectures held in the classrooms: one on cardiovascular health, one on communicable diseases, and the third on caring for the elderly in the community.

The Health Sciences Libraries are already looking forward to next year’s Fair and to being able to say that we have participated for FOUR years in a row (and counting)!

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Note:

MedlinePlus Multiple Languages provides health information in a number of Asian languages, such as Chinese [Simplified (简体中文) and Traditional (繁體中文)]; Korean (한국어);  as well as a number of other languages, ranging from Amharic (amarunya) to Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt). The RHIN (Refugee Health Information Network) website also provides multilingual health materials for refugees and their health providers.

–The Editor

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 5th, 2009 at 1:25 pm and is filed under Consumer Health, News from the Region, Outreach. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.