NNLM Region 4 Planning Retreat

Posted in: Blog

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This week our NNLM Region Team met for three full days to plan, brainstorm and discuss how we will be ending our first year together and how we will kick off our year 2. Many things were discussed at these sessions. Our Engagement Specialists discussed the following:

Dana Abbey walked us through her plans to continue work with Community Based Organizations, making new connections and continuing to nurture those that have been made. Ideas included continued work with community clusters and reaching out to entities in those areas, including HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) and AHEC’s (Area Health Education Centers).

David Brown presented his ideas in working with Public Health Professionals. Given we are going through a pandemic it has been a bit challenging to grasp the interest of some of these professionals because their interest lies focusing on Covid 19. We discussed different strategies, including engaging in programming related to this hot topic.

George Strawley introduced us to strategies he is utilizing to connect with libraries across the region specifically those in tribal areas.

Yamila walked us through her thought process to increase communications across the region specifically listening to what is going on.

A lot of work was accomplished this week at our gathering, and we are open to change as things come up. We want to hear from you! Do you have any ideas for programming or strategies for us to reach some of these entities? If so, reach me at yme@arizona.edu

Yamila M. El-Khayat, MA serves as Communications and Citizen Science Specialist at NNLM (Network of the National Library of Medicine) Region 4. She has a passion for health information and working with all communities in particular traditionally marginalized communities. Yamila is a medical librarian at the University of Arizona. In working as a Librarian, she has been determined to increase health literacy to better serve the needs of the Latino and Native American populations, improving access to information related to the health of Native American, Hispanic, Border, Evidence-based, intercultural, bilingual and culturally appropriate. She has experience training information for clinicians, students, and community members, including health promoters/ “Promotores de Salud”.