Overview

Information and communications technology have become the cornerstones of public health practice in the 21st century. At a time when communities are preparing to respond to any public health crisis in a matter of hours and even minutes, the speed with which we communicate and access information becomes crucial. Online resources, innovative software, and sophisticated equipment provide the necessary tools, but it is the exchange of information that makes a difference in a wired community. Across cities, states, and countries, these exchanges strengthen our public health infrastructure and allow the public health workforce to apply the latest and most relevant research to their everyday practice. Join us as we share the vision of Blacksburg, Virginia, a community that is improving the practice of public health by building relationships, investing in information technology, and communicating with the world.

Objectives

• Describe an electronic community network.
• Identify three informatics competencies that are key to success in establishing and maintaining an electronic community network.
• Identify three ways in which an electronic community network promotes the overall health and well being of the community.
• Describe the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) role in providing electronic resources to the local public health workforce and their community partners.

Target Audience

Public health and civic leaders, managers, and professionals from local and state government agencies, public health libraries, boards of health, community organizations, academic institutions, federal agencies, and others who seek to learn more about how electronic networks, informatics competencies, and on-line resources foster communication and learning among the public health workforce and their community partners.

This program was produced with the generous support of the National Library of Medicine

No presenter in this program has a financial interest or other relationship with manufacturers of commercial products, providers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

No presenter in this program will discuss the unlabeled use of commercial products or products for investigational use.