A database of educational materials—from a variety of organizations and reviewed
by public health professionals—makes its debut this month on the
H.E.R.E. web
site. Reviewed Education Materials is a project of
Public Health-Seattle and
King County (PHSKC) in a new online format. It contains hundreds of listings of
brochures, booklets and handouts on a wide spectrum of topics and will be
expanding monthly. Users can find items either through the subject listings or
by using the search feature. Each listing contains a description of the
material, comments from reviewers, supplier information, and a downloadable PDF
file, if one is available.
PHSKC staff formed their
review committee starting in 1986 to evaluate consumer
health education materials on a wide range of topics. For several years they
published a catalog of approved titles. Funding from the
National Network of
Libraries of Medicine helped save this wealth of information from elimination because
of budget cuts in 2002. The data is now available online instead of in printed
form. The Reviewed Education Materials database is one of four available on H.E.R.E. under
Educational Materials. The other three include the state
Department of Health (DOH) catalog, camera ready PDF files of DOH materials, and
Materials Exchange, a networking database that lists descriptions of materials
from local health agencies around Washington along with contact information.
These databases are among the most popular features on H.E.R.E. We are
constantly looking for ways to improve access and streamline the service. Please
take the time to peruse
Reviewed Education Materials and send us your comments
along with ideas of materials to review.
The latest edition of the DOH Health
Education Publications Catalog, with listings of all the printed materials you
can order from the warehouse, is now available. The December 2004 online version
features links to PDF files of many materials and also to the web pages of the
state programs that produce them. If you prefer to have a CD of the catalog,
send an email to Penny.hetzel@doh.wa.gov. If you have questions about the
catalog, write us at here@doh.wa.gov.
If you notice that information about your project, materials,
website, or your Rolodex listing needs to be updated, please send us the current
information. You can fill out convenient online forms, or just send an email
with new details to here@doh.wa.gov. You can also fax us at 360-753-9100. We're
always working to keep the clearinghouse current and accurate.
Trying to provide accurate health information in languages other
than English can be challenging. One web site that helps with Asian languages is
Selected Patient Information in Asian Languages (SPIRAL). This site from Tufts
University Health Science Library contains PDF files of Asian- and
English-language health education materials on many topics. The information
comes from authoritative sources with an explanation of the selection criteria.
SPIRAL is searchable by both topic and individual Asian language. The English
versions allow you to review the information being presented.
Another excellent source of information on a multitude of cultural, language and
health issues is the University of Washington Harborview Medical Center's
EthnoMed. This site contains a lot of background
information on recent immigrant populations, including cultural profiles, health
beliefs, social practices and historical influences, as well as translated
materials.
SPIRAL and EthnoMed are two of the many useful web resources that you’ll find in
the
Other Web Sites section of H.E.R.E. We’ve expanded the number of links and
tried to give you a helpful list of categories so you can easily locate the
resources you need. Please share your favorite web sites with colleagues by
emailing us at here@doh.wa.gov.
People
who meet Ruth Abad probably first notice that she is both tiny in stature and a
dynamo of ideas and energy. Ruth is a Healthy Communities Specialist, working on
obesity prevention in the Nutrition and Physical Activity Program at the
Washington Department of Health (DOH). She is a “tried and true” health
educator, with an MPH in Community Health Education from the University of
Hawaii School of Public Health, a Master of Education degree from the University
of Massachusetts, and many years in the field.
One of her favorite jobs was as a health educator for the Immunization Program
at the State Department of Health in Hawaii. She traveled the archipelago and
met with local community leaders from the Samoan, Hawaiian, and Asian
communities, was guest speaker on rural radio shows, and worked with local
health educators to develop an immunization outreach program on each island.
Another highlight was working with a group of colleagues under the leadership of
one of her heroes, Dr. Maxine Hayes, to develop and carry out an initiative on
cultural competency for Parent Child Health Services, the precursor to the
present division of
Community and Family Health at DOH.
Today, Ruth enjoys working with the City of Mount Vernon to develop a “Healthy
Communities Action Plan” that focuses on environmental and policy changes to
support physical activity and healthy eating. “It’s great to watch civic leaders
use their skills and passion to mobilize their community and develop a plan
that’s unique for Mount Vernon, and that also uses best public health
practices,” she said.
A positive aspect of her work is her belief that public health, in the purest
sense, is a movement for social change and social justice. “I’m privileged to
have a job that reflects my personal values. The challenge for me is to
acknowledge that I work for a large bureaucracy, yet strive to do meaningful
community-based public health,” she said. Her advice to beginning health
educators is to heed the same message she heard in her graduate program, “Listen
to the community.” She believes this is the framework of good public health
education.
“It’s hard work helping empower communities to make the changes needed to create a
culture that promotes health and supports active lifestyles. That is our
challenge. Our responsibility is to advocate for public policies that support
community efforts.”
Outside of work, she is happiest when she’s walking or hiking in the woods. “In
my next life I want to be a park ranger!”
Ruth says to contact her anytime to discuss community organizing, group
facilitation, and coalition development. You can reach her at
ruth.abad@doh.wa.gov
| ● |
Children's Environmental Health Campaign -
Thurston County Public Health and Social Services This campaign encourages parents to take protective environmental actions in their homes against pesticides, solvents, arsenic, mercury and lead. |
| ● |
Dirt Alert
-
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Educators teach very young children to protect themselves from contaminated soil. |
| ● |
Square Foot Nutrition Project -
Washington State University Extension Students learn about nutrition while growing garden vegetables and salad greens. |
| ● |
A Parent's Guide to Recognizing and Treating Depression in Your Child
- Youth Suicide Prevention Program Tips to recognize and treat depression in a youth, and ways for parents to act on their concerns. |
| ● |
Birth Defects Toolkit - Children's Hospital
and Regional Medical Center Reproducible materials for parents and families on seven different birth defects. |
| ● |
Childhood and
Adolescent Depression and Anxiety Tool Kit –
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center Contains extensive links to online health information on depression and anxiety in youth. |
| ● |
Cotton: Facts and
Tips
- Public Health - Seattle & King County Explains the risks that can occur from sharing "cottons" when shooting drugs. |
| ● |
Food Safety is in
Your Hands
-
Public Health - Seattle & King County Online 7-minute streaming video emphasizes handwashing and barriers in food preparation . |
| ● |
Food Safety: You Make the Difference - Public Health - Seattle & King County Online 28-minute streaming video covers a wide range of food safety rules. |
| ● |
Physical Activity
Poster Contest Winning Entries
- Kitsap County Health District Posters from an elementary school contest to promote physical activity. |
| ● |
Please Take Off
Shoes Here
- Public Health - Seattle & King County Poster promotes removing shoes and other steps to protect families from contaminated soils and dust. |
| ● |
Storing Breastmilk is Easy - Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of
Washington State Magnet gives details on safe storage of breastmilk in the freezer, refrigerator, and at room temperature. |
| ● |
Working and Breastfeeding... It's Worth It! - Healthy Mothers, Healthy
Babies Coalition of Washington State Packet of information in English and Spanish, targeted for new mothers and their employers. |
| ● |
Working Healthy - Food and Beverage Worker Manual - Public Health - Seattle
& King County Covers safe food storage, how to prevent food poisoning, and steps to sanitize hands and cooking surfaces . |
A Vision for Public Health, Strategies for
Creating Healthy Communities – Seattle – April 6-7, 2005
Washington State Environmental Health Association Educational
Conference –
Spokane – May 4-6, 2005
Girls Active in Life and Sports Conference – Portland,
Oregon – June 24-25,
2005
Do you have a community project to add? Submission Form -- Community Projects
Do you have health education materials to add? Submission Form -- Materials Exchange
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Put me in the
H.E.R.E. Rolodex
H.E.R.E. inWashington newsletter is
distributed every other month by the
Office of Health Promotion
Washington State Department of Health
PO Box 47833
Olympia, WA 98504-7833
(360) 236-3736
HERE@doh.wa.gov