Wellness Information Zone

LFF’s newest health project seeks to address the public’s growing need for reliable and understandable health information and to increase access to local health resources. The public library offers the perfect solution.

Through WIZ, LFF will train librarians and associates of the Humana Foundation, which is co-sponsoring WIZ, on providing accurate and up-to-date health information to community members. Currently being piloted in Atlanta GA, WIZ includes the development of library and nonprofit based health information centers.

A centerpiece of the project is the all-new Wellness Information Zone website, a resource that puts reliable, up-to-date consumer health information at users’ fingertips.

Background

The Wellness Information Zone is based on the belief that libraries, as central resources in their communities, are ideally positioned to help crucial health information reach the public. A recent report by the Institute of Medicine found that 50 percent of American adults (90 million) have difficulty understanding and acting upon health information. From reading labels on prescription medications to understanding insurance claims, Americans are struggling to keep up in an increasingly consumer driven healthcare system. Additionally, low literacy levels and the inability to find easy to understand health information have broad societal impacts including less use of preventative services and higher rates of hospitalization.

The Wellness Information Zone project, begun in 2006 and funded by The Humana Foundation, is being piloted by Libraries for the Future in partnership with the Atlanta Fulton and DeKalb County Public Library Systems. Eight libraries throughout these systems have already taken part in a HealthAccess training, part of LFF’s EqualAccess program, and are beginning to develop programs for their communities.


Participating libraries include:

Atlanta Fulton Public Libraries:
• Central Library
• Southwest Regional
• Roswell Regional
• Dogwood
• South Fulton Regional

DeKalb County Public Libraries:
• Decatur
• Chamblee
• Wesley Chapel William C. Brown

Visit the Wellness Information Zone website here.