The Louisiana Go Local Experience

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Public Health
• Information Science

Background:

• The National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Go Local program aimed to enhance public health information access.
• Librarians at Baton Rouge General Medical Center initiated the Louisiana Go Local project.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a statewide health services database.
• To improve the health information-seeking experience for the general public in Louisiana.
• To facilitate the discovery of geographically closest healthcare providers.

Main Methods:

• A three-year development process was undertaken by health sciences librarians.
• A statewide database of health services descriptions and contact information was created.
• The project focused on assisting non-expert health information seekers.

Main Results:

• The Louisiana Go Local segment was successfully launched in October 2009.
• The project aimed to connect individuals with the nearest available healthcare providers.
• The national Go Local project was unfortunately cancelled by the NLM in spring 2010.

Conclusions:

• The development of localized health information databases is crucial for public health.
• Librarian-led initiatives can significantly improve community access to health services.
• Despite the cancellation of the national project, the Louisiana Go Local database demonstrated a viable model for health information dissemination.