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HSLIC News

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10/25/2024
profile-icon Jon Eldredge

 

Today’s health professionals undoubtedly need sophisticated information-related skills. Competency statements from national accrediting and professional associations reflect this need.

HSLIC faculty provide the skills and knowledge that HSC students need to meet these competencies. Many competencies relate to Evidence Based Practice (EBP) skills in question formulation, searching for the best evidence, critical appraisal, and making informed decisions. Other skills relate to library or informatics skill sets.

For these reasons, HSLIC faculty integrate their teaching into many HSC program curricula and they are gearing-up to expand their coverage. HSLIC faculty currently are integrated into the medical school, medical residency, physician assistant, biomedical sciences, population health, nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy curricula. HSLIC faculty currently are the instructors-of-record in eight credit courses, which reflects the degree to which they have become aligned with the curricula at the HSC.

If you sense that your curriculum could use the involvement of HSLIC faculty in meeting the instructional needs of your own HSC program, please contact us! .

Jon Eldredge, PhD, AHIP-D, FMLA, Professor and Evidence Based Practice Librarian

10/14/2024
profile-icon Deborah Rhue

OrganizationOctober is Health Literacy Months that deal with patient care celebrate health literacy month every October as they recognize that health literacy is an important part of the care they provide to patients.  For instance, if a patient does not know how to take their medication correctly, they can end up back in their doctor’s office or the hospital.  Patient outcomes suffer and the cost of medical care rises.  The goal of health literacy is to help individuals make informed health decisions by improving their ability to access, understand, and effectively use health information.  It is important to emphasize to busy patient care providers that health literacy matters and the annual October celebration serves as a wonderful reminder of this often-overlooked aspect of good medical care. 

The Health Sciences Library & Informatics Center offers workshops on Health Literacy every year.  In addition, the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) is one of the few hospitals in the country that has an Health Literacy Office.  UNMH’s Health Literacy Office provides workshops on teach-back and plain language methods of communication.  In addition, they will review forms, policies and handouts for UNMH departments to make sure the documents meet suggested health literacy standards:  https://unmhealth.org/diversity-equity-inclusion/health-literacy.html

If you would like to learn more about health literacy, there are many excellent websites on the Internet for you to browse.  Here are a few:

National Institutes of Health:  https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication/health-literacy

CDC:  https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/index.html

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion:  https://health.gov/news/202010/october-health-literacy-month

04/29/2024
profile-icon Deborah Rhue

 

 

All of Us Tech Days Presentation

Lori Sloane and Deborah Rhue from HSLIC joined Todd Quinn and Karl Benedict from CULLS to present a talk about the All of Us Research Program at the annual University of New Mexico’s Tech Days on Friday, April 26, 2024.  The talk, entitledAll of Us: Using Big Data to Study Factors Affecting Health and Health Impacts,” was well- and enthusiastically received. 

Deborah, Lori, Todd and Karl have been working to promote awareness and enrollment in the NIH-sponsored All of Research Program since 2023 when the University of New Mexico became one of the Program’s officially enrolled research participants. 

The All of Us Research Program is an effort funded by the National Institutes of Health to gather health data from one million or more people in the United States.  The All of Us Research Program encourages individuals from communities historically left out of biomedical research studies to enroll and share their health data and make that data available to researchers through the All of Us Research Program platform.

   "All of Us: Using Big Data to Study Factors Affecting Health and Health Impacts":  Tech Days Slide Presentation

    For more information about the All of Us Research ProgramAll of Us Research Program 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

04/16/2024
profile-icon Gale Hannigan

 

The purpose of National Minority Health Month is to "raise awareness about the importance of improving the health of racial and ethnic minority communities and reducing health disparities."

This year's theme is Be the Source for Better Health, which fits right in with HSLIC's mission to advance health and health equity as New Mexico’s only publicly accessible health sciences library. HSLIC is a source for better health information, which we believe can lead to better health.

Health disparities are a significant problem, and the library provides resources about them. The OMHRC Knowledge Center Online Catalog (Office of Minority Health Resource Center) gives access to 75,000 documents, books journal articles, and media related to the health status of racial and ethnic minority populations. PubMed searchers will find the MeSH terms Minority Health and Health Status Disparities, which were introduced in 2008. Note that there are other terms available to search the concepts prior to 2008.

Datasets are increasingly important and available to researchers. The National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA) contains physical, economic, demographic, and social information at the census tract, ZIP code, and county level. This dataset was used in a recent publication about the devaluation of assets in Black neighborhoods. As a minority majority state (with less than half the people being non-Hispanic whites), and home to 23 American Indian tribes, as well as Black and Asian people, minority health issues are important to New Mexico researchers, health care providers, and community leaders. The New Mexico Community Data Collaborative maps local health conditions and behaviors, as well as provides data about special populations, such as health care providers and rural vs urban designations.

Image from World Bank CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED

04/02/2024
profile-icon Gale Hannigan

 

National Public Health Week 2024 celebrates collaboration, cooperation, and partnerships in public health. The theme is “Protecting, Connecting and Thriving: We Are All Public Health.”

At HSLIC, we make resources available that support research in the broad field of public health, and collaborate with faculty and educate students in the College of Population Health.  Ours is a strong partnership. These past two years, as part of a grant from the college to develop an Academic Health Department, HSLIC librarians extended services to New Mexico Department of Health (NM DOH) practitioners. Academic Health Departments are partnerships between an academic institution and a health department. A goal is to strengthen the links between practice and academia, with opportunities for joint education, research and practice.

Librarians developed training modules in the process of evidence-based public health practice. We regularly teach these skills throughout the health sciences professional programs' curricula. A team of librarians, some with public health degrees, customized training to the context of public health and created four modules, following the steps of the process. These included:

    • Module 1: Developing Searchable Questions
    • Module 2: Searching for Evidence
    • Modules 3: A Toolkit for Evaluating Evidence
    • Module 4:  A Toolkit for Applying Evidence

Modules 1 and 2 were offered synchronously online to NM DOH personnel last spring, and all modules are now available to anyone through the UNM Digital Repository at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/er/

In addition, HSLIC became the partner library for NM DOH's Public Health Digital Library, a project of the Network of the National Library of Medicine. This means that New Mexico public health personnel have access not only to the hundreds of books, journals, and databases in that library but, if an item is not available, HSLIC will provide it from our collection or from another library. This greatly extends the scope of information sources available to practitioners.

At HSLIC we recognize and support the valuable work of public health practitioners. We are all public health!

03/11/2024
profile-icon Gale Hannigan

 

Patient Safety Awareness Week is March 10-16; it's an opportunity to encourage learning about health care safety. Patient safety is the concern of everyone on the health care team, and that includes librarians.

Some ways in which librarians and libraries contribute to patient safety:

  • Provide authoritative point-of-care resources for quick retrieval of information at the time of need
  • Participate in clinical rounds to understand the context of questions as they arise and respond with relevant information from quality resources
  • Serve on safety committees and institutional review boards
  • Conduct literature searches for current guidelines, best practices
  • Provide 24/7 access to databases that contain current information about drugs, interactions, therapeutics, and peer-reviewed full-text articles
  • Educate health care personnel in the efficient use of resources

Physicians, residents, and nurses at 118 hospitals (16,122 respondents to a survey) considered a recent patient care situation and reported changes in "advice given to the patient (48%), diagnosis (25%), and choice of drugs (33%), other treatment (31%), and tests (23%)" based on information provided by the librarian or library." They indicated that the "information allowed them to avoid the following adverse events: patient misunderstanding of the disease (23%), additional tests (19%), misdiagnosis (13%), adverse drug reactions (13%), medication errors (12%), and patient mortality (6%)." [1]

When you have a question, or are making a health care decision, our goal at HSLIC is to deliver current, accurate, and evidence-based information.

  1. Marshall JG, et al. The value of library and information services in patient care: results of a multisite study. J Med Libr Assoc. 2013 Jan;101(1):38-46. doi: 10.3163/1536-5050.101.1.007. PMID: 23418404; PMCID: PMC3543128.

                                                                         Download and review Patient Safety terms with this printable word search

                                                                                              Download Word Search  Download Answer Key

02/19/2024
profile-icon Deborah Rhue

Wise Health Care Consumer      Did you know that February is National Wise Health Care Consumer Month?                   

What is National Wise Health Care Consumer Month?  National Wise Health Care Consumer Month is a month dedicated to raising awareness and educating the public about how to make wise choices regarding their health care and become a better-informed consumer.  The American Institute for Preventive Medicine established this national observance because they realized that the American public struggles to make informed decisions about their health care.

The American Institute for Preventive Medicine recommends that consumers know the following when making health care decisions https://healthylife.com/wise/Wise_Health_Care_Consumer.pdf

  •  Know how to choose a health care plan
  •  Choose their care providers carefully and thoughtfully 
  • Communicate with their health care providers
  • Are comfortable asking questions, sharing concerns and negotiating costs   
  • Analyze and evaluate sources of health information
  • Practice preventive care 
  • Know when to treat themselves at home  
  • Understand their prescriptions and take them as directed 

Health literacy is an aspect of wise health care.  The Health Sciences Library & Informatics Center offers Health Literacy workshops to interested faculty, students and HSC staff.  Our next workshop will take place on April 3, 2024.  If you are interested in attending this workshop, you can register at the link listed below.

 HSLIC Health Literacy Workshop, Health Literacy: Plain Language, Teach-Back and More, April 3, 2024, noon until 1:00 pm   https://goto.unm.edu/hslicevents

 

 

 

10/11/2023
profile-icon Deborah Rhue

October is National Medical Librarian’s Month

Your medical librarian is here to provide access to the latest healthcare information for medical professionals, students, and researchers. We do literature searches, teach classes, and ensure access to resources—just to name a few of the things we do!  Best of all, we increase the quality of patient care.

October is also Health Literacy Month!           

What is Health Literacy?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines personal Health Literacy as the “degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.”

The most important thing to know about health literacy is that with lower or inadequate health literacy levels, patients are unable to understand what they need to do to take care of their personal healthcare needs.

To get tips about communicating with patients and overcoming health literacy barriers, HSLIC will have an online workshop about health literacy on Friday, October 27, 2023, from noon - 1:00 p.m. Register Here.

 

    

 

 

 

07/03/2023
profile-icon Gale Hannigan

Who knew there was a holiday every July 3 that encourages you to attend a movie or spend the day at the gym? A holiday to save your skin! These past few days have been HOT, and summer has just begun. It may not be practical to spend a day indoors, but give yourself and your skin a break and seek shade either indoors, under an umbrella or floppy hat, or in front of HSLIC in the early morning – and don’t forget those UV protection sunglasses.

The Solar UV index is the strength of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Last week, the local UV index reached its most extreme level, which means to avoid the sun between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. when skin damage can happen in minutes. Check out the hourly UV index at your location at the EPA website UV Index.

We conducted a survey recently to get your feedback about how to make the front area of the HSLIC building more functional and inviting. The top three responses were: tables, improved aesthetics, and additional SHADE. We are listening and planning. Meanwhile, be smart in the sun.

05/19/2023
profile-icon Deborah Rhue

May is National Stroke Awareness Month! According to the National Institutes of Health, a 2018 National Health Interview Survey found that 7.8 million Americans have suffered from a stroke. For many years, the rate of strokes in the United States had declined, but due to rising rates of obesity, this decline has reversed, and the incidence of strokes in the United States is rising.

Studies show that there is a connection between high blood pressure, dementia, and stroke. Therefore, controlling high blood pressure has become an integral part of stroke prevention and awareness efforts.

Several prominent health organizations promote stroke awareness and provide guidelines for the lay public and health providers:

  • The American Heart Association: 

             https://www.heart.org/en/professional/quality-improvement/get-with-the-guidelines/get-with-the-guidelines-stroke

 

  • The American Stroke Association (a Division of the American Heart Association):

             https://www.stroke.org/en/about-the-american-stroke-association

             https://www.stroke.org/en/about-the-american-stroke-association/stroke-awareness-month

 

  • The National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke:

             https://www.ninds.nih.gov/news-events/directors-messages/all-directors-messages/may-stroke-awareness-month-1

 

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

             https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/index.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

05/17/2023
Rachel Howarth

In 1983, the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition declared May National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.  Each President since has recognized May as a month to advocate for Americans to adopt healthy lifestyles.  President Biden issued a Proclamation in 2021 stating “No matter our age or ability, the more that we can make regular physical activity and participation in sports a part of our lives, the better off both we and our Nation will be.”  

The library might not be the first place you think of for physical fitness, but the HSLIC front desk offers all kinds of sports equipment for checkout:

  • Spikeball sets
  • OgoDisk sets 
  • Soccer Ball 
  • Basketball 
  • Volleyball 
  • Football 
  • Kickball 
  • Jump Rope 
  • Hacky Sack 
  • Frisbee 

Kumal Mankad, a first year student in the MD program, plays Spikeball with fellow students on their break between classes.  They were inspired by the PT students who often play out on the lawn in front of the library. Kumal says physical fitness is very important to him, but it has to be scheduled into his busy week in advance: “I try to set up at least 3 times for physical activities in my planner every week.  It’s not easy.  I’ve seen some students write in ‘Please go to gym’ between meetings or classes.”  He also said that he appreciates that the Library provides exercise equipment “Having equipment available at the library makes it much easier to get exercise.” 

Students can also take advantage of a basketball court located behind the library, a 2-mile trail around the UNM North Golf Course just down the street, and standing desk treadmills on the library's 3rd floor.

Selected ebooks regarding physical fitness available at our library include:

          Esteves, D., & Lewis, K. (Eds.). (2021). Exercise: physical, physiological and psychological benefits Nova Medicine & Health.

          Robbins, J.E., & Madrigal, L. (2017). Sport, exercise, and performance psychology: bridging theory and application. Springer Publishing Company, LLC.

          Trevisano, Q (Ed.). (2020). Physical fitness and exercise: an overview. Nova Science.

Additional Sports and Fitness resources: 

          US Department of Health and Human Services “Move in May”

          City of Albuquerque Parks & Recreation

          UNM Health Sciences Center HSC Wellness

04/14/2023
profile-icon Jonathan Pringle

Logo for National Minority Health Month, which uses a wheel image with green, orange, purple, and blue colors

Since 2001, the United States has celebrated National Minority Health Month (NMHM) in April.   Its purpose is to increase awareness of the importance of improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations and reducing existent health disparities. 

This year’s theme, "Better Health Through Better Understanding," focuses on improving health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority and AI/AN communities by providing them with culturally and linguistically competent healthcare services, information, and resources. When patients are provided with culturally and linguistically appropriate information, they are empowered to create healthier outcomes for themselves and their communities. (Credit: HHS National Minority Health Month website)

As the state’s only publicly accessible health sciences library, UNM’s Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center (HSLIC) strives to support the health and health equity of all of the people of New Mexico, one of the United States’ only majority-minority states.  This is reflected in the library’s consistent dedication to collaborative partnerships and its support of the spaces and materials needed for health information learning.  HSLIC is engaged in this work year-round. The library's Native Health Database embodies critical and culturally-relevant resources for North American Indigenous populations. Its recent platform upgrade embeds concepts of Indigenous Data Sovereignty into the exchange of information between creators and communities, ultimately elevating communities to become decision-makers about what is appropriate to share and with whom. 

Further information on the library’s engagement with the community can be found here. UNM-HSC's Center for Native American Health specializes in student and workforce development, community engagement, community-based participatory research (CBPR), community health assessment capacity building, program planning, and project management. CNAH is a frequent collaborator with HSLIC in their mutual goals to improve health outcomes for Indigenous populations. 

All are also encouraged to explore the OMHRC (Office of Minority Health Resource Center) database, the nation’s largest depository of information on the health of minority populations.  A highlight is the availability of consumer health information in over 40 languages. Furthermore, the National Library of Medicine provides a helpful website (Health Disparities & Minority Health Information Resources) that has several links to federal government and private organizational resources that speak to the health needs of underserved populations. 

Authored by Deirdre Caparoso (HSLIC's Outreach & Community Engagement Librarian) and Jonathan Pringle (HSLIC's Scholarly Communications & Digital Librarian)

03/30/2023
Brandon Carroll

You are invited to join us on Thursday, April 6th, from 10 A.M - 11 A.M. for a virtual seminar by Lewis Worley, BE, and Robyn Gleasner, MLIS.

Topic: HSC Citation Analysis Project

Description: The HSC Citation Analysis Project set out to answer the following questions: where are faculty at the HSC publishing, does HSLIC/UNM provide access to these journals, what journals are the authors citing, and does HSLIC/UNM provide access to those journals. The answers to the questions would assist in the evaluation of HSLIC’s journal collection and determine potential gaps.  This session will show how we went about attempting to answer these questions from pulling data from Web of Science, analyzing it, and wrangling and parsing it using a number of programs and scripts including excel, open refine, SQL, and python. 

Learning Objectives: 

We will discuss: 

  • What citation analysis is and why it is beneficial for collection evaluation 
  • Our process of pulling, cleaning, wrangling, and parsing the data to meet our needs 
  • Next steps to analyze the data and how to apply the analysis to future collection development decisions 

Please email BLCarroll@salud.unm.edu to request Zoom info.

02/23/2023
Brandon Carroll

You are invited to join us on Thursday, March 2nd, from 10 A.M - 11 A.M. for a virtual seminar by Glyneva Bradley-Ridout, BA, MI, and Elena Springall, BSc, MLIS.

Topic: Cross-Sectional Study of UpToDate versus DynaMed

Description: Health Sciences Libraries are often faced with difficult budget decisions regarding which clinical tools to purchase while keeping in mind user preferences and needs. Our research study was designed to inform evidence-based decision-making around this issue. We designed and executed a cross-sectional research project which compared the speed and accuracy of two popular point-of-care information tools: UpToDate and DynaMed plus. We will share the results of our research, including a behind-the-scenes glimpse into our research process. 

Learning Objectives

We will discuss: 

  • how to form research objectives from collections priorities
  • how to balance multiple priorities and changing roles while conducting research
  • how to work with busy medical residents as study participants

Please email BLCarroll@salud.unm.edu to request Zoom info.

02/09/2023
Brandon Carroll

You are invited to join us on Thursday, February 16th, from 10 A.M. - 11 A.M. for a virtual seminar by Jonathan Pringle, MAS.

Topic: The Native Health Database in 2023: Embedding Outreach with Culturally-Respectful Technology

Description: The years 1993-2019 marked significant changes and modifications to the Native Health Database, a (then) abstracting database that provided unique health information and resources for myriad audiences. Between 2019 and 2022 the resource underwent significant changes, this time focused on the underlying platform delivering the information; the new NHD now has the capacity to elevate source Native American & Indigenous communities to equal partners in the exchange of information. In 2023, the NHD is poised to leverage this new platform and engage in focused outreach efforts to show content creators, communities, users, and healthcare providers how they can interact within the new platform.

Learning Objectives:

We will discuss:

  • How the past has informed the present and future of this resource
  • How the new platform provides solutions to information exchange that embodies the Indigenous Data Sovereignty movement
  • How the platform can be utilized broadly as an effective outreach tool for researchers

Please email BLCarroll@salud.unm.edu to request Zoom info.

10/13/2022
Brandon Carroll

You are invited to join us on Thursday, October 20th, from 10 to 11 AM for a virtual seminar by Emily McRae, BA, and Cynthia Jacobs, BS

Topic: The New Mexico Community Data Collaborative

Description: Join the New Mexico Community Data Collaborative (NMCDC) to explore social determinants and health indicators across your neighborhood. The NMCDC team will provide a brief tutorial of how to find data on the site, as well as describe recent and future projects, including the NM Food Supply Chain Data Hub and the Data Disaggregation Project.

Learning Objectives:

1. Navigate to a data product on the NMCDC website given only a broad topic area.

2. Use the NM Food Supply Chain Data Hub to find data related to the food supply chain components and understand how you can support the upkeep and relevance of the Data Hub.

3. Describe the Data Disaggregation project and understand how to follow, support, and inform the work.

 

Please email BLCarroll@salud.unm.edu to request Zoom info.

09/29/2022
Brandon Carroll

You are invited to join us on Thursday, October 6th from 10 to 11:30 AM, for a virtual seminar by Gabe Peters, BA.

TopicInclusive Dermatology: Creating a Diverse Visual Atlas of Skin Conditions

Description: Existing literature on Dermatological conditions highlight little to no visual diversity amongst skin conditions of varying individuals of color. Inclusive dermatology focuses on the importance of gathering and sharing images of dermatological conditions in all skin types with an emphasis on individuals who have been excluded in medical education. By expanding the availability of images in varying skin types, we hope to not only advance medical education but also strive to improve patient care, especially with our diverse population here in New Mexico.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe what Inclusive Dermatology is

2. Explain the importance of inclusivity and how it benefits patient care

 

Please email BLCarroll@salud.unm.edu to request Zoom info.

09/07/2022
Brandon Carroll

You are invited to join us on Thursday, September 15th from 10 to 11 AM, for a virtual seminar by Deborah L. Lauseng, AMLS

Topic: Roles, Collaborations, and Activities in Health Informatics Education - a discussion of scoping review findings and your own involvement

Description: Librarians and libraries have been engaged in informatics training for decades, however, sharing of the types and extent of engagement has been limited in the literature. The scoping review, “Library involvement in health informatics education for health professions students and practitioners,” published in JMLA, seeks to explore the extent library involvement in health informatics education, specifically focused on activities and outcomes described in the published literature.

 

In this BioMISS session, the lead author will share findings on the roles, collaborations, and activities librarians have had in health informatics beyond instruction. The author will lead a discussion about current and potential collaborations. Additionally, attendees will explore how best to report their involvement with health informatics to inform the profession.

 

Learning objectives

  • Participants will gain insights into the extent and nature of librarian/information professional involvement with health informatics as discovered through this scoping review. 

  • Participants will explore potentials of collaboration with health informatics activities in their own work. 

  • Participants will discuss generating a standardized template for reporting librarian/information professional involvement in informatics educational activities. 

 

Please email BLCarroll@salud.unm.edu to request Zoom info.

06/27/2022
profile-icon Jonathan Pringle

Four individuals outdoors talking about National HIV Testing Day

Today is National HIV Testing Day. First observed on June 27, 1995, this is an annual day designed to encourage people to get tested for HIV, know their status, and get linked to care and treatment. 

The theme for 2022, “HIV Testing is Self-care.” The World Health Organization defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.” is timely, given that self-care has been a particularly important topic during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s also timely as the need for individual and community actions to promote physical and mental health remain critical.

HIV testing is an act of self-care. According to the CDC, encouraging people to get tested and know their HIV status can help them stay healthy. Today, there are more free, easy, fast, and confidential HIV testing options available than ever before. Testing, including self-testing, is the first step to engaging in HIV prevention or treatment services. HIV testing is a critical tool to helping us end the HIV epidemic in the United States.

Watch this Taking the Test is Taking Care of You video to learn more about HIV testing and self-care.

Currently, CDC and many other organizations are distributing free HIV self-testing kits . You can find more information about HIV testing on our HIV Testing Overview page.

Content courtesy of HIV.gov

06/01/2022
profile-icon Jonathan Seyfried

June is LGBTQIA+ Pride Month!

The Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center is excited to present a special display for Pride Month. Please visit the second floor of the library to explore health sciences resources connected to LGBTQIA+ topics and make a Pride button. Resources on display include several print books and descriptions of selected e-book titles on LGBTQIA+ topics related to health sciences. To accompany the display, a Pride Virtual Exhibit is available on HSLIC's website with even more information.   

In addition, HSLIC continues to provide our LGBTQIA+ Health Resources Guide updated in June 2021 by Anna Cibils, Library Services Specialist and Nursing student, and Kelleen Maluski, your Student Success & Engagement Librarian. This guide is intended to be used as a resource for researchers, students, and faculty to help them in providing care and conducting appropriate research with the LGBTQIA+ community. The guide has many resources but it also gives contextual information on the various communities represented with this term and regarding our terminology. Use this search thread for a comprehensive list of all titles connected to LGBTQIA+ topics available in our e-book collection.

UNM HSC is planning  Pride Month events to address LGBTQIA+ history and leadership in health sciences. Visit UNM’s LGBTQ Resource Center for more information and events. For a history of the LGBTQIA+ Rights Movement, visit the USC One Archives Foundation.

06/03/2021
Kelleen Maluski

Image of people doing different activities in the rainbow colors of UNM

For Pride 2021 the Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center is excited to announce a newly updated Research Guide for LGBTQIA+ Health Resources. This guide is intended to be used as a resource for researchers, students, and faculty to help them in providing care and conducting appropriate research with the LGBTQIA+ community. The guide has many resources but it also gives contextual information on the various communities represented with this term and regarding our terminology.

The LGBTQIA+ Health Resources Guide was created by Anna Cibils, Library Services Specialist and Nursing student and Kelleen Maluski, your Student Success & Engagement Librarian. Anna and Kelleen were excited and grateful to put together this guide with input from multiple stakeholders from UNM, UNM HSC, and the larger New Mexico community. Both Anna and Kelleen are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community as bisexual cis women and know how important it is to see representation that doesn't take a "one size fits all" approach to research for such a large community. If you have any thoughts, comments, or questions about the guide feel free to email Kelleen!

This Guide is part of a larger effort from the Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center to offer contextual and thoughtful review of conducting research with marginalized and historically excluded communities. In addition to updating our Research Guides we have also formed the Justice, Equity, and Inclusion Committee made up of members from the faculty, staff, and students of UNM and UNM HSC and curated our databases in a Health Justice & Equity subject section. If you would like to let us know how the library can continue to provide welcoming and inclusive spaces and resources for all please let us know at this anonymous survey!

07/24/2020
profile-icon Ingrid Hendrix

https://www.adaanniversary.org/sites/default/files/ADA30-blog-post_0.jpg

<img src="https://www.adaanniversary.org/sites/default/files/ADA30-blog-post_0.jpg" alt="Celebrate the ADA30 (1990-2020) Americans with Disabilities Act - July 26, 2020" >

 

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Sunday, July 26th marks the day 30 years ago President George H. W. Bush signed into law the world’s first civil rights act for persons with disabilities.  This was a momentous day for disability rights activists who had been working hard for more than 30 years to enact changes in the lives of people with disabilities. The ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in regards to education, housing, transportation, architectural access, employment and other areas of public life.  The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. Currently, one in four Americans identifies as having a physical or mental disability.

As a person with a disability who has experienced our country before and after passage of this important law, the changes are life altering.  Ramps, pushbuttons and elevators are all common sights that many growing up post-ADA take for granted. Lifts on buses, job accommodations and integrated education are all expected or assumed.  People with intellectual disabilities have the right to live in the community, be employed, and choose their  partner.

Has the ADA solved all the issues people with disability face? Hardly.  As with other civil rights laws, it provides legal recourse, but attitudes and awareness are more entrenched and harder to change.   July is also Disability Pride Month, an effort to encourage people with disabilities to take pride in their identity and shift the narratives of stigma and ableism.  

Health care is one area that lags behind the public sector in accessibility. Few clinics have adjustable exam tables, space in exam rooms to navigate a wheelchair, scales to weigh people with limited mobility, access to sign language interpreters or large print and braille patient education material. Despite encountering large numbers of patients with disabilities in practice, medical students seldom receive training in working with this population.  While other minorities are increasingly represented in the health professions, people with disabilities are often excluded due to lack of accommodations on admissions.

The fight is not over, but the world is a much more welcoming place for people with disabilities.

Further exploration:

ADAA website https://www.adaanniversary.org/home

DREDF Health Care Stories: https://dredf.org/healthcare-stories/

Crip Camp: A Disabilty Revolution. 2020 Film. Netflix. https://www.netflix.com/title/81001496

Heumann, J. E., Joiner, K., & Beacon Press. (2020). Being Heumann : an unrepentant memoir of a disability rights activist. Beacon Press. https://hslic-unm.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1119745182