Disaster and Emergency Planning Outreach Workshops: National Library of Medicine Consumer Health Databases and Disaster Preparedness

Abstract

After witnessing and being affected by catastrophic climatic events in the Atlanta metropolitan area, the staff of the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) Library, in keeping with the mission of the school's goal to serve the underserved, developed a disaster and emergency planning outreach workshop targeted at utilizing selected databases of the National Library of Medicine. The staff took the opportunity not only to reach out to the larger Atlanta community but also to conduct several workshops on campus for MSM personnel and several visiting student groups to the MSM Library. Workshop participants included members of four local congregations (Cascade United Methodist Church, The Lutheran Church of the Atonement, Mount Calvary Baptist Church, and True Light Baptist Church), Master of Public Health students, faculty, and staff at Morehouse School of Medicine, and visitors to the Morehouse School of Medicine Library. Workshop sites were the first three churches and the MSM Library. Interactive sessions were held which included viewing the FEMA video Getting Ready for Disaster, introductions to National Library of Medicine databases (Haz-Map®, Household Products®, Toxtown®, Toxmap®, and MedlinePlus®) and development of personal disaster plans.