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Winter
2007
Are You Ready?
The past three months have presented the residents in this region the
opportunity to see how prepared we are for a natural disaster. How did you fare? The Virtual Medical Library has
many resources to aid you in preparing, planning, and surviving these natural occurences.
First and foremost, develop a plan! Where do you begin this process?
Locally, the Regional Public Information Network (RPIN) is a great one-stop resource for news alerts from more than 60 government, transportation,
utility, health and emergency response agencies serving citizens in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
RPIN keeps the public informed
about street and highway closures, weather, major transit disruptions, and provides updates on what agencies are
doing to respond to emergencies and incidents. The public also can sign up to receive e-mail alerts and pager headlines
from RPIN and its partners
getting helpful tips as you prepare for many types of emergency situation.
One of the informative sections of this website is the "Be Prepared for All Hazards"
page. Here you will be able to locate planning tips for emergencies with an all-hazards approach. What this means
is that the preparedness steps you should take for an earthquake would go a long way to prepare you for any emergency.
Another of our local/regional resources is the 3 Days, 3 Ways Are
You Ready? website. Become prepared in 3 Ways – make a plan, build a kit, and
get involved. Any
step taken today will put you in a better position for survival, whether from a major earthquake, a winter storm
(as we just had), a terrorist act or a pandemic flu outbreak.
Still not ready? Then take a few minutes to download the Washington Disaster
Preparedness Handbook. This is a step-by-step planning
tool which provides the reader with ways to prepare for just about any natural or man-made disaster. You will need
the Adobe Acrobat Reader
to open, read, then print the booklet.
Remember, YOU
NEED TO PREPARE to be on your own for at least three days and
maybe upwards of a week! So, what are you waiting for, get started now!
Seasonal Flu Is Here!
(repeated
because of its importance)
Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses.
It can cause mild to severe illness and, at times, can lead to death. A special topical page was created to provide
up-to-date information throughout the flu season.
Seasonal
Influenza / Flu Resources presents a vast array of
resources providing both the clinician and the public information that can be used to prevent and treat this annual
illness. Located on both the Medical Professional Resources
and Consumer
Health & Education Resources pages under Infectious
Diseases and Infections, respectively.
According to the CDC, 5% - 20% of the American public contract the flu
annually. Older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk for serious
flu complications.
Remember, one of the best ways to avoid catching the flu is by getting
a flu vaccination against the flu each season.
What's New On The Virtual Medical Library?
If you would like to keep up with new resources or services that may
be available in the Medical Library or on the Virtual Medical LIbrary, it still remains just one click away!
Click on the new Medical Library "Post-It" that appears each
time you enter the Virtual Medical Library. This "Post-It" has a link to click and see what new sites
or resources have been added. We hope to update "What's New On The
Virtual Medical Library?" twice monthly.
Check it out!
If you want to see what we have added in the past, you can view the Index.
Websites
U-Can Use
Clusty
Clusty professes that it "is a whole new way to search the web".
The method that Clusty puts together search results is to query several top search engines, combines the results,
and generates an ordered list based on comparative ranking. Simply stated, this "Meta-search" approach
helps raise the best results to the top and push search engine spam to the bottom.
Find this on the Internet Search
Tools page under the Meta - Search Tool heading.
Where To Write for Vital Records
The links on this United States Government site provide direct access
to individual State and territory information. To use this valuable tool, you must first determine the State or
area where the birth, death, marriage, or divorce occurred, then click on that State or area.
You can locate its link along with many other government-related resources
on the Government Resources
page under the Comprehensive Resources (national/state/international).
Stay Safe in Cold Weather!
Older adults can lose body heat faster than when they were young. A big
chill can turn into a dangerous problem before an older person even knows what’s happening. Doctors call this extremely
serious problem hypothermia, and it can happen indoors or out. A new, easy-to-read booklet from NIH’s National
Institute on Aging called Stay Safe in Cold
Weather! offers tips on avoiding this dangerous condition.
The online booklet requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
This resource can be found on the Virtual Medical Library's Consumer Health & Education page under the Aging, Elder Care,
& Caregiving
heading.
New Books in the Library
Take a moment to check the NEW EDITION! and NEWLY ADDED!
additions on our Online Textbooks page, as well!
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