Presentation for Washington State Refugee Community Building Conference

SeaTac Marriott Hotel, March 8, 2002

Accessing Online Information for Immigrant and Refugee Health:

A description of a Harborview Project funded by the National Library of Medicine

Christine Wilson Owens and Ellen Howard

Christine talks

People are using the internet for many reasons these days and finding Health Information tops the list of reasons why people use the web.

(slides of an online news source with the health news category)

There is a ton of consumer health information out there and wading through it can be challenging, to say the least. In addition to the large amount of material that is available, health information is put on line for various purposes and by many different sources.

(some examples of sources…government, pharmaceutical companies, universities…)

Even with all the variety of sources and their purposes, the online search for health information can be fruitful if the consumer has the skills to find and accurately assess the information that is uncovered.

And in recent years, there have been many efforts made to improve the capabilities of the general public to safely use the internet as a source of health information…

(an example of a source that offers guidelines for online health consumers)

Ellen and I are here today to briefly introduce you to a new program that we’re working on which will offer basic training and tools for navigating the health information landscape on the world wide web – specifically for some of our area’s immigrant and refugee communities, but also for other members of the general public.

The Accessing Health Information Project Training the Trainer Program is the name given to this effort.

(project home page)

This training program is part of a model project supported by the National Library of Medicine to help improve minority communities’ access to the latest health information. Our project is focusing on hands-on participation by community members in coordinating learning and outreach.

(EthnoMed Project connection)

Over the next couple of months, two community members for each target group will learn a curriculum developed by a team of UW Health Sciences Librarians, modeled on a course used among Native American communities to improve access to health information.

These community members fit qualifying criteria, which includes being

bilingual, community-service oriented, computer literate and interested in community health. You can check out the criteria via our project Web page.

Ellen talks

The 14 community trainers will complete the curriculum’s ten learning objectives in order to perform successful searches for answers to their specific questions and to navigate the web using the most valuable and accessible online resources of health information.

(basic curriculum template)

The training has been divided into 2 segments.

1. We trained the trainers who will work with the community members by conducting a hands on session at the UW Health Sciences Library. There we talked about the program and then conducted the class using the model curriculum. We also created the project Web site which you saw earlier which includes all the related materials and documentation. We has about 25 attendees.

2. Two trainers were paired with each of the 7 target communities. Based upon recommendations from the community the trainer will work with the 2 selected community health information providers. These community based providers will complete the 10 curricular learning objectives, conduct searches for answers to their specific questions and search the Web to identify the most valuable resources for their community. The trainers will spend time modifying the curriculum template to include specific links or other information they find that may be especially relevant and appropriate for the health needs in their community.

(Somali or other template with some of Ellen’s cultural links)

Then, for a limited time, (which is partly paid and partly volunteer), these fourteen Community-based will offer to teach others in their community the same set of skills and to act as a community resource for accessing online health information.

Christine and I plan to teach several classes using the general curriculum template to people not included in the model project’s targeted audience.

Besides the 14 community trainers and health sciences librarians, project partners include volunteers from the UW Information School student body, two community technology program coordinators and several employees

from Harborview Medical Center. The City of Seattle Department of Information Technology has offered to host the modified training and resource pages. The City is also helping us establish connections with computer technology centers for access to computers and training locations.

(City Tech Page)

We are hoping that some public libraries will participate, as well.

Christine talks

We realize that for many immigrants and refugees, using the computer for health information is pretty low on a list of priority needs like finding ESL, health care and insurance, housing, employment and school for children. Basic computer skills and internet access must come before our training could be directly relevant to many refugees. As evidenced at the conference today and tomorrow, there are many people, like Liz and Rose here, who are providing services to assist refugees and immigrants with all these important and major issues of resettlement and living. This training project is meant to develop the skills of some community members who already exhibit commitments to serve their communities and who will use what they learn to benefit others who have less or no access.

As we said, there is a lot of health information out there. Most people probably get the majority of health information from their health care providers. Providers give health care instructions and medical advice to patients because they are experts in their career field and familiar with a patient’s specific case. It is not the intention of the project to dispense medical advice, or to train people to do that.

To equip community members with the skills to access and identify quality information that is available to them outside the hospital or doctor’s office, in this case, via the web, is to hopefully encourage only a better understanding of health issues.

We are honored to be speaking with you today and we thank the conference organizers for inviting us to have this opportunity to share what we are doing. Hopefully, the Accessing Health Information Project Training the Trainer Program can be a useful part of looking toward a future of stronger and healthier refugee and immigrant communities.

If we find out otherwise, for instance if it turns out that the internet isn’t very useful to these communities as a health information resource then that is helpful to know, too.

You can learn more about the project by going to the project web site, or by getting in touch with me or Ellen. We have sign up sheets for individuals and organizations who are interested in participating in a curriculum training class…if you have interest in learning from a trainer who is from one of the project’s target communities, please specify by your name which community that is.

And hopefully you all have a handout if you want one, that gives our contact information, web addresses for the project pages and curriculum, and an overview of the learning objectives.

Now we will stop talking and invite you to ask questions, and we will try our best to answer them. I’m sure Liz and Rose would be happy to respond to questions you have for them, too.