After completing an extensive health data assessment, we found that different regions within our library system experience certain health disparities at higher rates than others. Examples of these health disparities include the lack of access to health care and affordable health insurance, high rates of overweight & obesity (including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease), low access to food, nutrition information and opportunities for physical activities, mental health, reproductive health, and homelessness, which includes mental health, health and overall well-being issues. Although the library has always been a source of health information, we also learned that many of our patrons and potential patrons do not yet think of the public library as a health information destination. Despite these challenges, the overall goal was to determine what the public library could do to raise awareness and provide educational opportunities on the most significant health matters affecting the communities our libraries serve. Meeting these needs provided us with the opportunity to partner with the County Of Los Angeles and other health and human service agencies to educate the public about preventable disease and ultimately contribute to wellness throughout the City of Los Angeles.

In partnership with the Library Foundation and UniHealth, we invested in the services of a social worker as an expert consultant to help us gather data, engage new partners, and design a program that is data driven and relevant to our library users. Together we analyzed data gathered from the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health and local area hospitals to determine which health issues affect the communities our libraries serve. We launched our program in conjunction with the launch of the Affordable Care Act because we anticipated patrons would have questions and that this opportunity would provide us greater visibility at a local, state, and national level. In addition to helping make us part of the national conversation, we were able to establish new relationships with non-profit community based organizations that provide free and low cost medical services and who were certified by Covered California (California’s Affordable Care Act Program) as educators and enrollers. We are now building upon these relationships with a program in 10 libraries where a new non-profit partner is providing free educational workshops on obesity, nutrition and diabetes. Based on the results of the pilot we will finalize the curricula, establish additional partnerships, and offer additional workshops at different locations in the fall. Concurrently, we are also piloting a project in two libraries to develop a health care utilization curriculum in Spanish and Chinese and are working with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to address health, mental health and housing issues in libraries with the highest homeless populations. Finally, we also created a new health portal within our library website to reach out to our virtual users.

By July 2015, the overall Health Matters program will have directly benefited 10,000 people through workshops, seminars, insurance enrollment, circulation of health materials, and referrals to appropriate health providers. The Library will develop partnerships and collaborations with at least three key health organizations by January 2015 to accomplish the goal of improving residents’ health and well-being. By July 2015, 70% of participants who are surveyed will agree that Library workshops have increased their health intelligence including greater knowledge about healthier, affordable nutrition options, appropriate physical activity, health care options, and other healthy choices for their families. By July 2015, 80% of survey respondents will agree that the Library’s outreach strategies and materials are culturally/linguistically appropriate. Lesson Learned: Although Health Matters programming will be delivered primarily through community partnerships, a lesson learned throughout the Covered California enrollment activities was that LAPL also needs its own cadre of health advocates. To that end, LAPL and the Library Foundation are pursuing opportunities to fund contract health advocates who can provide workshops, outreach, and health and wellness related service linkages. The health advocates will be modeled after the statewide Promotora model which enlists health promoters who share ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status and life experiences with the community members they serve.