{"id":18075,"date":"2024-06-25T12:40:12","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T12:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_7\/?p=18075"},"modified":"2024-06-25T12:40:12","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T12:40:12","slug":"litchfield-county-ct-focused-outreach-report-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.nnlm.gov\/region_7\/2024\/06\/25\/litchfield-county-ct-focused-outreach-report-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Litchfield County (CT): Focused Outreach Report Back"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each year (for us that is May 1- April 30), Region 7 “focuses” on learning about two geographic areas.\u00a0 In this blog post, there is a brief introduction to our Focused Outreach model and some of the things we learned and want to share about that work in Litchfield County, CT. You might recognize this photo of the West Cornwall Covered Bridge, located in Litchfield County, from the NNLM.gov “About Us” page for Region 7<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Photo

West Cornwall Covered Bridge<\/p><\/div>\n

What is Focused Outreach again?<\/h2>\n

As part of the work of the NNLM, Region 7 conducts outreach to specific rural counties in CT, ME, MA, NH, NY, RI, and VT. Rural Health is one of our Regional Priorities. The goal is to introduce, or re-introduce, the Network of the National Library of Medicine as a source of training in health information resources and funding for health-related projects. In addition, this provides an opportunity for us to learn more about the health information access needs and priorities of the communities we serve, providing valuable insight for our work and to bring back to the National Library of Medicine (NLM).<\/p>\n

Our process involves conducting interviews with librarians, educators, public health workers, and others involved in health information outreach. Note: our work focuses on health information resources and delivery rather than health care itself. Our focus includes access to the internet and technology devices.<\/p>\n

We also search for available data for local health information priorities. Data supports and expands on the health concerns shared in the interviews.<\/p>\n

We try to identify areas of partnership and how we can support health information access. We offer training on National Library of Medicine resources such as MedlinePlus for consumer health information.<\/p>\n

Finally, we report on findings to our interviewees, the Regional Office (R7), and the National Library of Medicine User Experience Program (UEP).<\/p>\n

\"Cornwall

Cornwall Library<\/p><\/div>\n

Litchfield County, Connecticut<\/h2>\n

Litchfield County is in the northwest corner of Connecticut. Litchfield County is the largest county in area and the least densely populated of Connecticut. The area is quite beautiful including a portion of the Appalachian Trail, the covered bridge above, and much more.<\/p>\n

Connecticut is made up of 169 \u201ctowns\u201d each of which function fairly independently. There are 26 towns in Litchfield County. Connecticut counties have no centralized government, so each town is responsible for their own services, such as schools and libraries.<\/p>\n

What we did<\/h2>\n

From May 2023 to April 2024, we met with representatives from one hospital library, two public libraries, the director of adult education for the regional educational service center, representatives from the Area Agency on Aging, State Office of Rural Health, local Council of Governments and one community-based organization.\u00a0 I also had the opportunity to meet with a group of library directors and to attend a NWCARES meeting to learn more about the community and to share about NLM and NNLM resources.<\/p>\n

\"Hotchkiss

Hotchkiss Library of Sharon<\/p><\/div>\n

What we learned<\/h2>\n

Despite the uniqueness of each town government in Connecticut, one of the key things we found is the many partnerships, collaborations, and networks<\/strong> that exist in northwest Connecticut.<\/p>\n

The Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG)<\/a> includes 21 of the 26 towns in Litchfield County. \u201cNHCOG\u2019s mission is to make Northwest Connecticut a better place to live, do business, and visit by providing a forum for local officials to discuss issues of intermunicipal concern, promote regional cooperation, and direct various regional initiatives to enhance government planning, efficiency and service delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n

NW CARES<\/a> is the \u201cNorthwest Coalition of Agencies Related to Elder Services in Canaan, Falls Village, Lakeville\/Salisbury, Norfolk, Sharon, Cornwall, Warren and Kent. Our mission is to identify, clarify and seek solutions to issues in service and activities that affect the elderly and their families.\u00a0 And since these possible solutions affect young as well as old, our scope extends to programs available to all ages.\u00a0 This resource guide<\/a> was developed to provide information to help you choose more effectively from the array of services available in our area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community Resources<\/p>\n