More Than a Library: Building Health Literacy in San Diego’s East County

Posted by Carolyn Martin on October 19th, 2026 Posted in: Consumer Health, Guest Post, Health Literacy, Health Observances, Medical Librarians, News from Network Members
Tags: community outreach, consumer health, health literacy, librarian roles, libraries, National Health Observances, NNLM Region 5

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We thank Holland Kessinger, Head Librarian at the Grossmont Healthcare District’s Health & Wellness Library, for this post where she shares about the many ways the library provides quality health information to the public and building health literacy skills. You’ll be inspired to learn about the amazing services the library offers to the East County community of San Diego.

In a world where information, media, and technology are ever-changing, finding and using reliable health information is often a complicated, confusing, and difficult experience, especially for those with lower or limited health literacy skills. Not having access to reliable and authoritative health resources can impact one’s ability to successfully navigate the healthcare system, communicate with healthcare professionals, and make good, informed choices about one’s health. Almost 25 years ago, the Grossmont Healthcare District’s Health & Wellness Library was established to address these very needs, and it continues to be a critical resource for building health literacy skills and finding reliable health information within the East County community of San Diego.

The Grossmont Healthcare District’s Health & Wellness Library is a free public library specializing only in health and wellness resources. It is a freestanding-building owned and operated by the Grossmont Healthcare District to support the health information needs of local residents. The Health & Wellness Library’s collection includes over 6,000 items, including current materials from authoritative and reliable sources in both print and online formats on all sorts of health and wellness topics, such as chronic disease, healthy habits, nutrition, pregnancy, mental health, grief, and more. The Library also offers research assistance, free health education programs, pamphlets, DVDs, anatomical models, charts, online databases, fitness and wellness kits that can be checked out to try at home, and a website with extensive links to all major health topics. The Library space is open to the public, and those who live, work, go to school, or have health-related ties to the East County region of San Diego may sign up for a Library card to check out items and attend our free wellness programs.

One of more than 70 special healthcare districts throughout the state of California, the Grossmont Healthcare District is a taxpayer-funded, public agency governed by a five-member, publicly elected board of directors who serve four-year terms. The District serves over 520,000 residents of a 750-square mile area in the Eastern part of San Diego County by supporting local healthcare initiatives, workforce development, stewardship of the Sharp Grossmont Hospital in partnership with Sharp HealthCare, and operating the Health & Wellness Library.

One of the Library’s most successful endeavors has been “Wellness Wednesday”, a lecture series that educates the public on a new health topic each month. In addition to the lecture, each Wellness Wednesday program includes community organizations sharing information and resources, as well as opportunities for socialization and connection amongst attendees. The Health & Wellness Library offers other free community programs too, including Memory Café, Fitness Club, Music Storytime, Crafternoon, Knit & Crochet, and Audability, a program designed specifically to support those living with Parkinson’s Disease. Community art exhibits and fieldtrips for local students interested in healthcare careers are held frequently, and meeting space is available for local healthcare non-profits and support groups.

Recognizing that not everyone is able to visit the physical Library building in-person, the Health & Wellness Library launched a Mobile Outreach Library in 2025 that visits regular monthly stops all over the Grossmont Healthcare District’s boundaries. Mobile Outreach Library staff provide health information, reference services, Library card sign-ups, and connect visitors to community health and wellness resources. It has been an extremely successful initiative serving over 2400 residents since its inception.

On any given day at the Health & Wellness Library (or at a Mobile Outreach Library stop!), you might see a person taking their blood pressure using the freely available blood pressure monitors, a staff member helping someone find pamphlets for stress management and sleep hygiene, an older adult attending a Chair Yoga class, a young parent and child singing along at Music Storytime, a nursing student studying alongside an anatomical model, or a library patron researching chronic disease and treatments in an online database…the possibilities are endless. And as AI changes our everyday experience of finding, understanding, and utilizing information, the need for trained professional library staff teaching health literacy skills and assisting in navigating the healthcare and health information ecosystem has never been greater.

We hope that if you’re ever in the Greater San Diego area that you’ll stop by to visit this amazing health information resource!