The Medical Library Association and the "E-Reach Project" in Illinois 7th Congressional District

THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION AND THE "E-REACH PROJECT" IN ILLINOIS 7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

HON. DANNY K. DAVIS OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce to my colleagues that the Medical Library Association will hold its Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. on May 22-May 26. Headquartered in my congressional district in Chicago, MLA is a nonprofit, educational organization of more than 900 institutions and 3,600 individual members in the health sciences information field, committed to educating health information professionals, supporting health information research, promoting access to the world's health information, and working to ensure that the best health information is available to all.

The advancement of information technology holds great promise for dramatically increasing the delivery of health care to underserved communities across the country and throughout the world. Medical librarians and health information professionals play a key role in the delivery of quality health care services by facilitating access to web-based health care information and telemedicine services. Despite the value of electronic-based health information, a recent needs assessment survey conducted by Loyola University

Health System, the Loyola University Health Sciences Library and their Pediatric Mobile Health Unit highlighted the fact that 60 percent of respondents in the predominately minority communities of Bellwood, Maywood and Ci cero, IL had not used the Internet to access health care information. Moreover, 80 percent of respondents had never consulted a librarian to help them find health related information.

In response to these findings, the Loyola University Health System, Loyola University Health Sciences Library, and Loyola University Health System Mobile Health Unit have developed a project designed to strengthen and enhance access to health information among underserved and under-represented populations in Maywood, Bellwood and Cicero. The E-REACH (Electronic Realtime Education Aiding Community Health) initiative will provide "on demand" health information to patients and families served by the Loyola University Health System Mobile Health Unit and Loyola Children's Center. The program will focus on expanding electronic access to health information at the point of patient care, promoting the use of health information by physicians and other health workers involved in the project, increasing patient awareness of health insurance programs and other health information resources, and increasing awareness of electronic health care information for individuals with Internet access.

The E-REACH initiative is partially funded by a grant from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and is an excellent example of how the NLM has taken a leadership role in promoting educational outreach to underserved populations as part of an ongoing effort to reduce health disparities among large sections of the American public. NLM currently funds over 280 outreach projects, with at least one such project in every state.

I congratulate all those involved in this promising new initiative, including the project director, Dr. Logan Ludwig, Associate Dean of Library Services and Telemedicine at the Loyola University Health Sciences Library. It is my hope that the E-REACH program will serve as a model for other communities seeking to expose the benefits of health information services to medically underserved and minority populations.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in welcoming the Medical Library Association to Washington for their Annual Meeting, and recognize the invaluable contribution that health information professionals make to our nation's health care system.