Health Information for Disaster Preparedness in Latin America

1. Health Information for Disaster Preparedness in Latin America Presentation to: EnHIOP, 12-04 Tallahassee, FL By: John C. Scott Center for Public Service Communications On behalf of: National Library of Medicine Central American Disaster Health Information Network

2. Project Origins Hurricane Mitch - 1998 El Salvador Earthquakes -2001

3. Project Goal Support, rebuild, and improve the health information infrastructure of Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador and Guatemala: • Technology infrastructure • Training of health science librarians • Information product development

4. Managing Disastersis Managing Information Reliable information is the most valued commodity before and after a disaster.

5. Background Hurricane Mitch October 1998 El SalvadorEarthquakesJan./Feb. 2001

6. NLM/PAHO Special Project • Unique opportunity for collaboration between NLM, as the world’s largest medical library and PAHO whose mission is improving the health of the people of the Americas • Use the Regional Disaster Information Center for Latin America and the Caribbean (CRID) as contractor

7. CRID • Collect and disseminate literature on disasters • DESASTRES bibliographic database • Over 15,000 disaster-related documents • www.crid.or.cr orwww.crid.desastres.net

8. Disaster Information Management • Wealth of information but little is accessible • Information about lessons learned is valuable throughout the region, but little in writing and often not circulated. • Grey Literature • Disaster health information in developing countriesis perishable: it’s not peer-reviewed; frequently unpublished • Internet Access • Internet access has been limited, but this is changing. Info access has gone from weeks/months to minutes and from hard copy to searchable electronic files

9. Participating Sites - Honduras Centro Universitario Region Norte University of Honduras Medical School

10. Participating Sites - Nicaragua University of Nicaragua Medical School School of Public Health of UNAN

11. Participating Sites – El Salvador Health Documentation & Information Center, Ministry of Health & University of El Salvador Center for the Protection against Disasters

12. Participataing Site: Guatemala Universidad de San Carlos, Biblioteca de la Facultad de Medicina Note: Guatemala was funded by U.K. via PAHO

13. Project Objectives • Training of health science librarians • Improving technology infrastructure • Development of Information Products

14. Librarian Training • Four train-the-trainers courses • Costa Rica ( 2001); Bethesda, MD (2001) Nicaragua (2002); Guatemala (2004) • Librarians and computer specialists • Additional training • Librarians now training professionals, researchers, government officials, community organizations, etc in their own countries

15. Technology Infrastructure • Computer Equipment Installation • Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica (Summer 2001) • El Salvador (Summer 2002) • Guatemala (January 2004) • Each site received a server, router, UPS, switch, laser printer, scanner, and two PCs • Internet Connectivity • 128K in Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador • 256K at CRID

16. Information Products Digital Library • 3,800 documents digitized and available through the CRID web site • Links from DESASTRES database to documents • Documents also available from local disaster information centers • CDs: Top 100 documents special topics

17. Information Products (continued) • Document accessibility • Develop full-text searching capability of documents • Web site development by participating sites • Health resources • Disaster resources • Local resources

18. Future Activities • Disaster Health Information Center Toolkit • Expansion of Network • Funding from UK to add Guatemala • Possible Caribbean, South America expansion • Increased attention to related issues: environmental health/toxicology • Promotion and Evaluation • Information Product Development • Information Technology Support

19. Evaluation and Sustainability • Use of NLM and CRID resources by participating sites for disaster planning • Incorporate information resources into curriculum • Migrate program to local management withcontinued support from the internationaldonor community

20. Lessons Learned • Success requires leadership and vision at many levels • Multiple sites require time, energy, patience,flexibility • Collaboration requires sensitivity to linguistic and cultural issues • Partnerships require teamwork and compromise • Possible applicability in US states/local communities • Value in NLM-PAHO collaboration

21. Conclusion Dissemination of quality information is: the most cost effective disaster reduction activity and a way to empower national and local communities

22. Project Team • NLM: Ms. Stacey Arnesen; Mr. Victor Cid Dr. Melvin Spann • PAHO: Mr. Ricardo Perez • CRID: Mr. Dave Zervaas and staff • CPSC: Mr. John Scott

23. Project Team Cecilia Garcia, UNAH Dave Zervaas & CRID staff Central American librarians& computer specialists Ricardo Perez, PAHO;John Scott, CPSC Stacey Arnesen, Victor Cid. NLM Mel Spann , NLM