FNLM ANNOUNCES: Medical Librarian Honored for Outreach Efforts to Frontier Utah

[NNLM PNR]

NEWS RELEASE

April 15, 1999

For More Information:
	Keith Krueger  <keith at fnlm.org> or (202) 462-0992 ext. 18

Medical Librarian Honored for Outreach Efforts to Frontier Utah

The 1999 Michael E. DeBakey Library Services Outreach Award has been
awarded to Kathleen M. McCloskey of the University of Utah for her
outstanding efforts to reach rural underserved communities in Utah.

The DeBakey Award recognizes an outstanding librarian in the area of
outreach to rural, unaffiliated or underserved medical populations.  The
Award, sponsored by the Friends of the National Library of Medicine, is
named in honor of the internationally known heart surgeon, Dr. Michael E.
DeBakey.

McCloskey was selected because of her individual efforts to ensure that
rural Utah physicians and other health professionals have access to the
latest life-saving medical information available.

"(Our) hospital nearly closed in January, 1994...  Central to keeping the
hospital open was the recruitment of physicians.  (A)t the time our
library consisted of three volumes of Scientific American.  Whenever we
brought in young physicians, they would look at our library as a major
deficit in choosing to locate here, noted Charles A. Davis, Administrator
and CEO, Allen Memorial Hospital, Moab, Utah.

"As the world of medicine becomes more and more complex, the practicing
physicians are swimming (some of us are doing the dog paddle or
floundering) in deeper waters.  Thanks to the work of the Eccles Health
Science Library, and particularly Kathleen McCloskey, we are staying
afloat," commented Joseph G. Cramer, M.D., President of the Utah Medical
Association.

Mr. Davis went on to explain that through Ms. McCloskey's efforts the
library has grown and is online and connected to the National Library of
Medicine.  

"(T)he first physician we recruited was convinced that we were the right
location because of our speedy response to medical book needs and our
commitment to a working library.  Kay McCloskey is the only one who
stepped up at a time of our greatest need and provided us with the hand we
needed," Mr. Davis said in his nomination of Ms. McCloskey.

The state of Utah's frontier and rural counties cover 96% of the state's
land surface area, yet hold only 22% of its population.  Fifteen of Utah's
29 counties are frontier, ten are rural and only four are urban.  Thus,
86% of Utah's counties qualifies, in part, as Health Professional Shortage
areas.

Ms. Davis is what is commonly known as a "circuit rider" librarian because
she travels to these remote communities and provides training to medical
professionals on how they can access the latest medical and scientific
literature.  Nearly 1,000 health professionals have been trained by Ms.
Davis since she began this effort in 1992-1993.

"I am gratified to have this Award bearing my name honor such an
outstanding librarian as Ms. McCloskey.  She has made a genuine impact on
health care in frontier Utah," stated Dr. DeBakey, the namesake of the
award.  

Dr. DeBakey Chaired the National Library of Medicine's 1989 Outreach
Committee which recommended that our nation take more efforts to ensure
that underserved medical populations receive access to life-saving
information.

Outreach is an effort to assist health professionals and students by
promoting awareness of and providing access to the nation's biomedical
publications.  Entries for the DeBakey Award are judged on innovation,
longevity of the outreach program, success of the program (number of
people served, number of institutions involved, geographic area, etc.) and
outcomes achieved.  Dr. Michael E. DeBakey will present the 1999 Award to
Ms. McCloskey on Wednesday, April 28, 1999 during the Health Information
Infrastructure Conference (HII99).

END

---------------
forwarded by
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest Region

University of Washington                        nnlm at u.washington.edu
NN/LM PNR                                       800-338-7657
Box 357155                                      206/543-8262
Seattle, Washington  98195-7155                 206/543-2469 (FAX)