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13
Posted by Darlene Kaskie on September 13th, 2019
Posted in: All of Us, Blog, Consumer Health, From the GMR, Funding, News from the Region, NNLM All of Us Ambassador Award, Outreach, Public Libraries, Success Stories
The IUPUI University Library is one of five award recipients of the 2019-2020 NNLM All of Us Ambassador Program. Funding for this program is the result of a partnership between the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and All of Us, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) research program that seeks to enroll one million or more people living in the United States to accelerate breakthroughs in precision medicine and to advance treatment and prevention. Learn more about the National Network of Libraries of Medicine and the All of Us Research Program partnership at https://nnlm.gov/all-of-us.
IUPUI University Library will receive $96,184 to support the consumer health needs of Indianapolis residents, which will be used to empower citizens to make more informed health decisions and to be more involved in their individual medical care. It also will highlight the importance of consuming quality, nutritious food and give Indianapolis residents tools to grow their own produce in safe, uncontaminated soil, and teach them how to use diet to control common health problems such as high cholesterol. “This award will help us address the major problem of food deserts and food swamps in Indianapolis, which contribute to poor health outcomes for many of our local communities. By contributing some solutions to food insecurity, we also hope to empower citizens with health information to create positive changes in their daily lives,” says Caitlin Pike, the principal investigator, and a health sciences librarian at IUPUI.
The grant will serve as a vital link between the NNLM All of Us Community Engagement Network, Indianapolis Public Library (IndyPL), community organizations, and individuals from across Marion County. Over the next year, Caitlin Pike, Mahasin Martinson, and Rachel Hinrichs will plan and host a series of health education programs for the public at three IndyPL branches. In partnership with community non-profit organizations, they also will conduct public programming around nutrition education and avoiding heavy metal contamination while urban gardening at the Southport Branch, the Brightwood Branch, and the Eagle Branch.
The three branch libraries were chosen for monthly programming due to their locations in traditionally marginalized Indianapolis communities, and they include a series of presentations on nutrition-related health topics that are relevant to the branch populations, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and maternal and child health.
IUPUI and the IUPUI University Library have a long-standing commitment to community engagement and outreach. This award allows for continued investment in those relationships and the betterment of the Indianapolis community.
About IUPUI University Library
IUPUI University Library
The University Library is central to the mission of IUPUI, one of the best urban universities, recognized locally, nationally, and internationally for its achievements. The University Library is a public academic library. Any state resident with a valid I.D. is eligible for a library card. With one million patron visits a year, plus staff and resources that support all of IUPUI’s more than 250 degree programs, the IUPUI
University Library is a vital partner for the campus and the community. The library’s resources include signature collections like the Joseph and Matthew Payton Philanthropic Studies Library, the Ruth Lilly Special Collections & Archives, and the Herron Art Library, plus over 80 digital collections. These unique online repositories contain digital images of historic documents and objects and were created with the help of collaborative partners
ABOUT Darlene Kaskie