Consumer Health

Can You Walk & Talk?

New MedlinePlus video which dicusses the dangers of walking and talking on your cellphone.

Halloween

Just a friendly reminder that the Libraries will be open this weekend. The Isché Library will be open from 9:30-6 on Saturday & from 12-12 on Sunday. The Dental Library is open from 1:30-10 on Sunday.

To help you and your family stay safe this Halloween, here are Tips from the Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Diabetes Association. Enjoy!

Louisiana Go Local

Louisiana Go Local officially launched on Wednesday, October 28, 2009! This online service lists thousands of services across the state. Users can find doctors, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, support groups, diabetes care, cancer services, home health care, weight management services, and much more.

Governor Bobby Jindal proclaimed October 28, 2009 Go Local Day in Louisiana to recognize the launch of the site. The proclamation notes that ÔÇ£knowing how to locate health services in the community can aid in the prevention of disease and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle.ÔÇØ

Louisiana Go Local is produced by Baton Rouge GeneralÔÇÖs Health Sciences Library in collaboration with the LSU School of Library and Information Science, and the National Library of Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health. Additional thanks go to the Louisiana Go Local Advisory Board, East Baton Rouge Parish Library, and Pennington Library and Information Center.

Intro to Consumer Health Information class @ Dental

The dental library will be presenting a class, Introduction to Consumer Health Information, tomorrow as part of our celebration of National Medical Libraries Month. Please join us in the dental library conference room from noon-1:00pm. For more information or to reserve your space for this class please email us.

Drug Talk

October is Talk About Prescriptions (TAP) Month where ÔÇ£Communication is Key!ÔÇØ
The National Council on Patient Information and Education has a set of questions that patients can ask their health provider when given a prescription.
Patients are more responsible for drug treatment decisions concerning their own health. Better medicine communication between consumers and their healthcare providers is the key to safe and appropriate medicine use ÔÇô and better health.

Health Literacy Month

October is Health Literacy Month. The intention is to highlight the need for organizations and healthcare providers to offer understandable health information to their patients or clients. This year’s theme is “Why Health Literacy Matters: Sharing Our Stories in Words, Pictures, and Sound.” “Health literacy is the ability to understand health information and to use that information to make good decisions about your health and medical care.”

Pill Identification System

The National Library of Medicine has launched a beta version of PillBox, its new “aid in the identification of unknown solid dosage pharmaceuticals.” It contains over 5,000 records with over 750 illustrations.

Classes at the dental library

The dental library will be offering five classes throughout the month of October to celebrate National Medical Libraries Month. All classes will be held in the dental library conference room from noon to 1:00pm. Reserve your space by emailing dentlib@lsuhsc.edu
Thursday, 10/1/09, Accessing Journal Articles Online
Monday, 10/5/09, Introduction to PubMed
Wednesday, 10/7/09, Introduction to RefWorks
Tuesday, 10/13/09, Health Literacy: More than the Ability to Read
Tuesday, 10/27/09, Introduction to Consumer Health Information

Fall Prevention Workshop

LSUHSC Occupational Therapy faculty and students will be providing a Fall Prevention Workshop on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 from 1-4 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, 2700 Canal St. Other participants include the LSUHSC Departments of Physical Therapy, Medicine, Community Nursing, as well as the Louisiana Fall Prevention Coalition and the Office of Public Health Injury Research and Prevention Program. For more information, see the official LSUHSC press release.

Get Ready in September

The month of September not only ushers in the official end of summer, it is also designated National Preparedness Month (NPM).

NPM encourages Americans and their communities to prepare and plan for emergencies that affect the general public. Ranging from common power outages to horrific national disasters, the American Public Health Association stresses the importance of being prepared.

September 15th is designated Get Ready Day so take the time on this date to come up with a plan for yourself and your family.

Influenza Update

With reports the past weeks of daycare center closings, sidelined football players, and sniffling sorority girls, clearly Louisiana is not immune from H1N1 outbreaks. As of August 17, 2009, Louisiana reports 449 confirmed cases and 1 related death (also in New Orleans) from the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, aka the Swine Flu.

For local & state information on influenza, visit www.FluLa.com, from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. There you will find weekly statistics and public health updates, as well as flu information for patients in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Clinicians can also access an Online Training Course on local flu preparedness, testing protocols, regional OPH offices, and info from the Louisiana Office of Public Health Lab like the Lab 96 form and instructions for swine flu testing.

For national swine flu information, the CDC is always your best bet: http://cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

2010 Yellow Book

The 2010 edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?óÔé¼Ôäós Yellow Book includes new or expanded sections on medical tourism, traveling safely with chronic diseases and conditions, and expert perspectives on popular travel itineraries worldwide. The updated book, which is a definitive guide for healthy international travel, is now available online.

National Junk Food Day

July 21st is National Junk Food Day, but try not to go wild. According to the CDC, Louisiana went from having under 15% obesity rate in 1990 to a rate of 25-29% in 2008. If you’re going to celebrate today, just try to be smart and eat healthy the rest of the week.

Don?óÔé¼Ôäót eat that Dough!

Looks like Louisianans haven?óÔé¼Ôäót been eating prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough and thank goodness.

As of Tuesday, June 30, 2009, 72 persons infected with a strain of E. coli O157:H7 with a particular DNA fingerprint have been reported from 30 states (None in Louisiana!). Of these, 51 have been confirmed by an advanced DNA test. More information is available from the CDC.

Free Health Education & Screening

Next week on Wednesday, July 1st the various schools of LSUHSC will be offering screening for high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, lung function, colorectal cancer and oral cancer, as well as vaccinations and education on a variety of health topics. The event will take place from 1 – 6 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, 3700 Canal St. It is part of the Congressman Cao AAA Health Care Initiative. For more information, see the official LSUHSC press release.