The IU East Campus Library, in partnership with the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM), is hosting physician and author Dr William Cooke, for a health literacy event on Monday March 25th. Dr. Cooke’s book, Canary in the Coal Mine, addresses issues such as how socioeconomic and racial disparities impact the health of people, how one’s life purpose can change, needle exchange programs, and dealing with public health crises. The author presentation begins at 10:00 a.m., followed by a Q & A dialogue with the author at 11:00 a.m.
All are welcome for this free event, but registration is requested to ensure seating is available. It is located in Whitewater Hall at Indiana University East. For those who cannot attend in person there will be a livestream via the IU East Facebook page. Additionally, Dr. Cooke’s presentation will be recorded by WCTV and subsequently aired online.
A Recovery and Resilience Resource Fair in Whitewater Hall will be open from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. More than 20 community organizations will be represented. They will share relevant information about the resources and services they provide in the areas of mental and physical health, substance use treatment programs, and a variety of support available for individuals and families. The producer of the documentary The Addict’s Wake, in collaboration with the Campus Library, will provide all attendees with a link to a free, limited time, online viewing of a new educational version of the film.
The Wayne County Health Department and the local Public Health Americorps program will be providing HIV and Hep C testing from 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., in the IU East Center for Health Promotion, located in Hayes Hall.
Dr Cooke will be available to sign books from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and he also welcomes interactions with individuals to discuss compassionate care for individuals, community solutions for substance misuse, and other issues in public health.
A resource guide produced by IU East librarians includes information about the author and reliable resources for information about substance use, and health and wellness service providers. It features Medline Plus, a free online health information source for reliable, current information about diseases, health conditions, and wellness topics. Topics included in a Substance Use and Disorders search range from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and E-Cigarettes to Inhalants and Opioid Use. MedlinePlus has no advertising and is available in English and Spanish. Each health topic page links to information from the National Institutes of Health and other authoritative sources, as well as a PubMed search. PubMed Central® (PMC) is a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine.
The NNLM offers reading recommendations and discussion guides. On the topic of substance use, some of the featured books are Come Home, Indio by Jim Terry, Corrections in Ink by Keri Blakinger, Scenes From My Life by Michael K Williams and Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J Krosoczka. Indiana and Ohio are in the NNLM Region 6, served by Community Coordinator Darlene Kaskie. Kaskie explained the purpose of the book and author outreach programs with libraries, “Our mission is health literacy. We want all people to have access to quality health information so they can make informed decisions about their health.” Frances Yates, Campus Library director and event coordinator, noted the benefits of such programs, “As a library we want to ensure everyone has access to reliable health information resources. As a community we want to share the variety and scope of services available to help individuals and families navigate health challenges. This program is an opportunity to accomplish those goals.”
Dr. Cooke’s presentation and purchase of 100 books was supported by a grant from the NNLM. An additional 200 books were purchased with support from the Indiana University East Campus Library, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Refreshments for the event were funded by Reid Health Community Benefit.
Want to learn more about health resources? Ask Us! iueref@iue.edu