Laupus Receives Express Outreach Project Award

Laupus received an Express Outreach Project Award to augment consumer health classes.  The award of $6,000 will be used to fund ten iPads and Otter Box iPad Defenders for “Healthier U @ your Library” and “Healthier U @ your Hospital” consumer health presentations.

Consumer Health Classes serve to educate the public, senior citizens, nurses and nurse educators and other health care professionals about finding good consumer health information on the Internet. Classes offered at public libraries and hospitals sometimes have a shortage of technology. With the iPads, users will be able to link to local Wi-Fi connections for Internet access to resources right in the hands of the consumers who need it most. With the benefit of mobile technology, users will also be able to view the pre-loaded presentation, find answers to questions they may have or even research health care information for a family member.

Eastern North Carolina has some of the highest incidences of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease in the US.  There are also a myriad of underserved populations in our area including seniors, minorities, and caregivers. The award will help Laupus Library assist the public with finding the best information on the Internet that can make a difference in their daily lives.

This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHS-N-276-2011-00004-C with the University of Maryland Baltimore.