What is Black Maternal Health Week?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hundreds of women in the United States die each year during pregnancy or within the first year after delivery. While eighty percent of these deaths are deemed preventable, the numbers continue to rise, and Black women are the most impacted. In fact, Black women are three times as likely to die during pregnancy or from a pregnancy-related cause than White women.

The NNLM actively supports public libraries in addressing health disparities and increasing access to maternal health information in their communities. This effort includes the Black Maternal Health Toolkit, a series of informative webinars available on the NNLM YouTube page, and the NNLM Reading Club focused on Black Maternal Health. Additionally, the NNLM collaborates with the All of Us Research Program, emphasizing the importance of research contributions to improve maternal health outcomes.

Founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance,  Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) is a week-long campaign held each year, April 11-17,​ “to build awareness, activism, and community-building​ to amplify ​the voices, perspectives and lived experiences of Black Mamas and birthing people.” BMHW has now become a national health observance.

In support of BMHW 2024, NNLM is hosting two live events in April.

• On April 11th, join us at 2pm ET/1pm CT/ 12pm MT/11am PT for Unveiling the Power of Community Partnerships: Transforming Black Maternal Health Outreach with Sarah A. Montrichard-Ramón Cabrera from the Brooklyn Public Library.
• April 17th, we host Vu-An Foster, the President and CEO of Life After 2 Losses for Life After 2 Losses: Support Advocacy and Health Literacy for a Healthy Pregnancy at 1pm ET/12pm CT/11am MT/10am PT.

Visit Black Maternal Health Week | NNLM to learn more.

Also, visit the Black Maternal Health Toolkit | NNLM for additional resources and health information.

How Libraries Support Health Equity

Through programming, community partnerships, collection displays, and more – libraries are responding to their communities’ needs for Black maternal health information. Here are just a few examples:

• Brooklyn Public Library currently has an NNLM All of Us Program Partnership Award, which allows them to collaborate with their local All of Us Research Program NYC partner at Weill Cornell. Leveraging the library’s robust history of advocating for Black maternal health, they’ve used the partnership to secure speakers for maternal health presentations as well as a panel discussion and resource fair on maternal mental health. Their project demonstrates the library’s proactive approach to tackling crucial health issues and capitalizing on community connections. NNLM funding opens at various times throughout the year, you can view available opportunities on our funding page.
• Other examples of public libraries connecting patrons to Black maternal health information include online book lists at Boston Public Library, Cincinnati Public Library’s Black Maternity Matters program series, and resource pages and programming by Los Angeles Public Library.
• Other non-public libraries also have demonstrated a commitment to providing access to relevant health information through NNLM-funded collection development, like the University of Portland and their collection equity award, which provided collection resources on this topic. Additionally, the University of Buffalo used its NNLM All of Us Community Award to conduct various activities on Black Maternal Health, including a community symposium and movie screening in collaboration with their local public library, while sharing information about the All of Us Research Program.
• “Laboring with Hope” to Improve Maternal Health Disparities – In August 2022, the PNC-MLA Diversity and Health Equity Speaker series hosted Dr. Nakeitra L. Burse, who presented the webinar “Storytelling as a Public Health Strategy to Address Inequities in Maternal Health Outcomes.” Dr. Burse is the owner and CEO of Six Dimensions which produced the film Laboring with Hope, a 30-minute documentary that combines personal stories and expert perspectives to provide a call to action to implement, support, and uplift strategies to improve maternal health and birth outcomes.
  • NNLM Region 5 offered access to Laboring with Hope in response to interest expressed by attendees during Dr. Burse’s well-received webinar. Region 5 members were also offered the opportunity to host free viewings of the documentary in their communities, sharing successful programs and discussions. Since January 2023, NNLM members have actively participated in the program, incorporating the film into nursing courses, organizing library viewings, and collaborating with various departments during Black Maternal Health Week.

NNLM Resources for Black Birthing Health

The NNLM actively assists public libraries in tackling health inequality by equipping them with maternal health information resources for their patrons. Here are just a few examples of NNLM resources:

• You can find a series of past webinars from NNLM on the topic of maternal health by searching the NNLM YouTube page. Here you’ll be able to view previous classes and webinars, including those from last year’s Black Maternal Health Week events.
• The NNLM Reading Club compiles a list of “ready-to-use” reading club materials based on a different health topic each month. Last year’s theme for April was Black Maternal Health, and resources are still available for continued public use.
• The NNLM’s partnership with the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program collaborates with public libraries to raise awareness about the importance of diversity in biomedical research as a way to better understand health, especially in communities that have been traditionally underrepresented in medical research. The National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program aims to reflect the rich diversity of our country and help us learn more about how genes, health habits, and the environment intersect and affect our health. Researchers are already using All of Us Research Program data to better understand health inequalities and the reproductive health of Black birthing people.
• The Birthing Persons Toolkit was created in NNLM Region 5 to support libraries in providing health information to those who are pregnant or considering becoming pregnant. The toolkit includes messages, hashtags, graphics, and handouts to support library staff with health information for birthing persons. These carefully selected resources are to help patrons make informed choices about pregnancy care. Learn more about the toolkit in this blog post.

Additional Resources

• Hear Her Campaign (https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/index.html) – The Hear Her campaign supports CDC’s efforts to prevent pregnancy-related deaths by sharing potentially life-saving messages about urgent warning signs.
• MedlinePlus Pregnancy resources – This health topic page provides an introduction to the resources available on MedlinePlus related to pregnancy.
• HRSA National Maternal Mental Health Hotline – The National Maternal Health Hotline provides 24/7, free, confidential support before, during, and after pregnancy. Download and use free materials, both in English and Spanish, to help promote. 60+ languages supported by hotline.

References

2024 Black Maternal Health Week – Black Mamas Matter Alliance

Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality | Health Equity Features | CDC

Pregnancy-Related Deaths: Data from Maternal Mortality Review Committees in 36 US States, 2017–2019 | CDC

The post Advancing Equity in Black Birthing Health: Leveraging NNLM Resources and Public Library Partnerships first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Public libraries are foundational partners in the digital infrastructure of communities nationwide. They are also an important part of the NNLM’s national membership base and user community. Public library workers have been active participants in the work of the NNLM Telehealth Interest Group, whose efforts we feature in this month’s column.

The NNLM Telehealth Interest Group launched in 2021 in recognition of the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of telehealth services, which increased access to care for some while also exposing persistent divides in both digital and health equity. NNLM saw a clear opportunity to support library and other health information workers in understanding the potential role of their organizations in the broader digital health landscape. In June 2023, the Telehealth Interest Group launched a free, national online course called Telehealth 101: What Libraries Need to Know. The objectives of this course are for participants to:

• Recognize the different approaches/models libraries may use to provide telehealth services;
• Identify infrastructure-related resources available to libraries interested in providing telehealth services (i.e., partnerships; physical space; technology and connectivity; funding; etc.);
• Understand the role of the library in supporting digital skills training for telehealth; and
• Explore privacy and policy considerations for offering telehealth services within libraries.

Since that time, 88 information professionals from public libraries, academic libraries, health science libraries, hospital libraries and other stakeholder organizations have participated the course. We’ve all benefited from the generous knowledge of library telehealth pioneers like the Pottsboro Area Library in Texas (featured in this video from NNLM),  Delaware Libraries #GetConnectedDE initiative, and Hawai’i State Public Library’s strategic telehealth collaboration. We’ve highlighted emerging research about the telehealth infrastructure capabilities of libraries in Virginia. We’ve learned about programs like Libraries Health Connect supported by the Maine State Library, and Telehealth in Libraries led by the Idaho Commission for Libraries. We know that there are many other library telehealth programs already operating or preparing to operate and are eager to share learning as it emerges.

NNLM’s Telehealth Interest Group is planning a webinar series to continue sharing emerging research and best practices for library workers interested in telehealth. Our first session is scheduled for Thursday, October 12, 2023, and will feature speakers from the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers (NCTRC). NCTRC describes itself as “a collaborative of 12 regional and 2 national Telehealth Resource Centers committed to implementing telehealth programs for rural and underserved communities. Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Health Resources and Services Administration, we provide timely and accurate information on telehealth across the nation.”

Experts from the NCTRC have collaborated with libraries and other community anchor institutions on several telehealth projects. Webinar attendees will learn more about resources available from NCTRC; how to identify the Telehealth Resource Center (TRC) serving their community; and strategies for successful collaborations between libraries and TRCs. Registration is currently available at NNLM.gov. For those who are interested in a sneak peek about NCTRC, check out this webinar recording about Innovative Models of Telehealth Access Points (including libraries!)

We will offer additional webinars in this series through the spring of 2024. We also plan to offer our online class (Telehealth 101: What Libraries Need to Know) again after January 2024. For updates on these and other free learning opportunities, be sure to join the NNLM Regional Medical Library serving your community. Membership is free, and the best way to stay connected to free training, funding and outreach resources from NNLM. You can also stay up-to-date on free training opportunities via the NNLM available classes list, or event calendar.

The post Libraries Address the Digital Divide with Telehealth first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Whether they’re searching the Internet, watching television, or browsing social media, Americans are bombarded with information related to their health, but the messages they’re receiving may not be understandable, reliable, or even credible. Faced with confusing medical terminology, conflicting reports, and a constantly changing healthcare system, people are looking to their local public libraries for guidance. That’s why the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM) is partnering with the Public Library Association (PLA): to help libraries meet the challenges of keeping up with evidence-based health resources and producing successful health programming.

Announcing Promoting Healthy Communities

PLA and NNLM are thrilled to announce Promoting Healthy Communities, a new nationwide initiative that will increase public library workers’ health knowledge and skills related to reliable health information resources, as well as support programs related to health and wellness. Throughout the nine-month initiative, PLA and NNLM will:

· Assess health information needs among public librarians in order to improve existing educational opportunities and develop new ones designed to meet the unique needs of public libraries.

· Share free resources, information about successful library programs, and professional development opportunities by holding training programs and webinars, publishing articles and podcasts.

· Unveil a new website (coming in early 2018) for public librarians that gives them easy access to training, tools and resources for consumer health information, health literacy programming and more.

Join Us In Person

The Promoting Healthy Communities initiative will include two in-person learning opportunities.

· “Public Libraries Supporting the Health and Wellness of Your Community,” Sunday, Feb. 11, at the 2018 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver. At this “unconference” event, attendees will be invited to connect with their fellow librarians to discuss the health-related topics that are most relevant to their needs. The session is open to all Midwinter Meeting registrants. Learn more and register for the Midwinter Meeting.

· “Stand Up for Health: Health and Wellness Services for Your Community,” Tuesday, March 20, 2018, at the PLA 2018 Conference in Philadelphia. This one-day preconference will review core competencies of providing health and wellness services; coach participants through understanding their communities’ needs; and explore how to create fun and informative health-related programming for different age groups and special populations. Pre-registration is required, and up to fifty $500 stipends are available. Learn more about the stipend opportunity.

Other Ways to Connect

Public librarians can find their regional office and access its resources at https://nnlm.gov/regions.

NNLM offers a wealth of resources that public libraries can use to engage their communities on specific health topics, such as:

· health outreach, nutrition and food labels, and health insurance;

· funding opportunities and awards available to public libraries; and

· microlearning videos to inform library staff about NNLM resources.

Finally, as Health Literacy Month (October) draws to a close, take advantage of the free Health Literacy Toolkit created by NNLM and the American Library Association (ALA). The toolkit includes customizable tools to raise awareness of how libraries support health literacy in their communities, including key messages, program ideas and downloadable marketing materials.

We look forward to connecting with you in the months to come.

This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, under Grant Number 1UG4LM012346-01 with the University of Iowa.

The post Promoting Healthy Communities: Connecting Public Libraries with Health Information first appeared on Public Libraries Online.