National Eye Institute

The National Eye Institute, part of the US National Institutes of Health, offers a wide variety of information and free resources for educators. The Web site, http://www.nei.nih.gov/, can be viewed in English or Spanish. There’s news; a clinical studies database; public service announcements; information on traveling exhibits sponsored by the NEI; and downloadable teaching materials, photos, video clips, handouts, eye charts.

One resource they will send you is a flip chart called Diabetic Eye Disease: An Educator's Guide. It’s formatted as a desktop flipchart with text to guide discussions and illustrations to show the patient. It also includes a CD that features modules patients can use on their own, a PowerPoint slide presentation, and English and Spanish presentations that can be printed in PDF format.

The first set is free and there is only a $2 fee for additional sets. You can find it at http://catalog.nei.nih.gov/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=128

 

JCAHO Resources for Patients

The Joint Commission Resources, http://www.jcrinc.com/, has developed a number of useful resources aimed directly at patients. One is a book to help people find reliable healthcare information on the Internet.

You: The Smart Patient: An Insider’s Handbook For Getting The Best Treatment represents a departure from the typical Joint Commission Resources style by using humor and illustrations. Sample pages and details are at http://www.jcrinc.com/generic.asp?durki=11727.

 

Home Diagnostics Free Diabetes Resources

Home Diagnostics, Inc., a provider of blood glucose monitoring systems, offers patient education materials (as PDF files) that you can download and print, or share with patients via e-mail. These include a variety of brochures, many in Spanish, offering tips on living with diabetes, self-test log books, and tear pads. In addition, some print items can be ordered in quantities of up to 100 by e-mailing literature@hdidiabetes.com.

They’ve also developed the Diabetes Care Event Kit. It includes everything you need to create, promote, and execute a successful diabetes education event. Terri Sasse, RN, MS, Director of Professional Marketing explains, “In limited quantities, we can customize these event materials for any facility. Most often pharmacies take advantage of this free service, but the kit is useful for any diabetes event.”

Go to http://www.hdidiabetes.com/healthprof-2.asp.

 

Harvard Health Literacy Studies

If you are looking for a resource rich site regarding health literacy, check out the Harvard School of Public Health site, Health Literacy Studies at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy/index.html.

The site offers health literacy curricula, research and policy reports, literacy literature, innovative materials, and a long links page in an effort to reduce health disparities. It explores pathways from education to health outcomes in order to determine literacy-related barriers to health services and care. It also identifies skills needed to access care, manage chronic diseases, and participate in disease prevention.

 

Office of Minority Health

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) was established in 1986. It’s mission has been to improve and protect the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will eliminate health disparities. OMH operates the OMH Resource Center (OMHRC), which serves as a free information and referral service on minority health issues for community groups, consumers, professionals, and students. The site is bi-lingual and can be found at http://www.omhrc.gov/.

One component lists the health campaigns developed by OMH including:

• Closing the Health Gap, pioneered in 2002. Two key elements of the Closing the Health Gap campaign have been Celebra La Vida Con Salud (Celebrate A Healthy Life) and Take a Loved One for a Checkup Day.
• Know What to Do for Life education campaign designed to help reduce the infant mortality rate among African Americans.

OMH convened the second National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health January 9-11, 2006, in Washington, D.C. It brought together leaders from all levels of government, academia, public health, mental health, minority-serving institutions, and minority communities. The Summit stimulated the creation of a National Agenda for Action that is currently in development.

OMH lists all upcoming workshops and seminars at http://www.omhrc.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=4433&lvl=1&lvlID=11.