Presentation: Health Literacy for Rural Populations

Abstract

Region 7 was asked to present the content from NNLM's Rural Health Resources webinar in the first session of a two-day professional development event co-hosted by the Central New York Library Resources Council and the State University of New York/Upstate Medical University Health Sciences Library. The session examined the marked health disparities between those living in rural areas versus their urban counterparts. Not only do rural residents suffer from higher incidence of chronic illness, they also have limited access to primary care services and are more likely to be uninsured or under-insured. This session described hallmarks of rural America, identify access challenges of living in rural communities, and equip participants with tools to service the health information needs of those living in rural communities. We will explore websites from the National Library of Medicine, U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, Rural Health Information Hub and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The origins of each website was explained. Each of the websites contain consumer-level information and offers an opportunity for data downloads. The downloads will be demonstrated. These resources are relevant to nurses, librarians, public health workers, allied healthcare professionals, educators, faith- and community-based organizations.