[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 19, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




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 Cicero, 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.

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