MEDLINEplus Goes Local with "NC Health Info": New Feature Lets North Carolinians Link to Health Resources in Their Neighborhood
NLM Newsline, volume 58, number 1
Spring 2003
Since 1998, MedlinePlus has provided the public with up-to-date, authoritative health information on a broad national scale. But NLM's consumer-friendly site took an exciting step in the grassroots direction when it "went local" for citizens of North Carolina, Jan. 14th.
At a launch that day at the Pittsboro Memorial Library, a vast array of free health information was unveiled to North Carolinians with the linking of a new website, www.nchealthinfo.org, to NLM's huge MedlinePlus database. The confidential, advertising-free site puts professionally screened information, illustrations and answers to almost any medical question within reach of any Internet-linked computer. Pittsboro was chosen for the official booting up of the website in order to emphasize the new Web resource's ability to reach people in every small town and rural community in the state. Of course, people who don't have a computer at home can still use the site at the nearest public library, without charge.
To find local services, MedlinePlus users (http://MedlinePlus.gov) first select the "Go Local" link from any health topic, choose a North Carolina county or city, and then browse a list of Web links to services. Going the other way, NC Health Info users can find health information related to local services through links to MedlinePlus.
"This is the first step toward bridging the gap between health information and local health services needed by patients and their families," said NLM Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg, who spoke at the launch. "The public can and should understand the nature of their illnesses and what should be done about them," he added. He said that, although the information in MedlinePlus is geared to consumers, it's highly respected for its medical accuracy.
In fact, Dr. Lindberg continued, research conducted by NLM shows that 20-25 percent of the users of MedlinePlus are doctors, "probably because not too many know the complete background on 577 diseases."
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) Health Sciences Library and School of Information and Library Science created NC Health Info to address local health questions such as:
- Where does a support group for Alzheimer's caregivers meet in Charlotte?
- Is it safe to eat the fish I catch in Pamlico Sound?
- Where can I get a rubella vaccination in Siler City?
- Is there an exercise class for breast cancer survivors in Asheville?
NC Health Info provides answers to these and other questions through links to websites from hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, support groups, health screening clinics and many other sources.
UNC staff have developed and tested methods to identify, select, and organize these health services websites. The experience gained and documentation created by the NC Health Info pilot will benefit future "Go Local" initiatives in creating successful websites to bring local health services information to MedlinePlus users in other states.
"It shouldn't surprise anyone that North Carolina is the first to show the rest of the country how this can work," said U.S. Rep. David Price (D-4th District), pledging to recommend that his constituents bookmark this site for fast, easy access to quality health information.
Other speakers at the Jan. 14th launch included: North Carolina State Health Director Dr. Leah Devlin; State Rep. Joe Hackney (D, 23rd District); State Sen. Ellie Kinnaird (D, 16th District), Carol Jenkins, Director of the UNC Health Sciences Library; and Joanne Marshall, Dean of the UNC School of Information and Library Science.
NLM Newsline is published by the National Library of Medicine.
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