February 1, 2007
Health Information Resource Center available for all
UW Medical Center’s Health Information Resource Center, which opened last fall, fills many needs.
For patients and their families, particularly if they have come from out of town, it can be a familiar place to stop by and check e-mail or fax an insurance form.
For someone who has been newly diagnosed with a disease or condition, it can be a place to seek in-depth information with the aid of staff trained to find the most useful and credible materials.
For a visiting family member, it can also be a place to learn how to use the local bus system and get advice on other transportation, or learn how to connect with a support group near their home.
The Health Information Resource Center is located in the main UW Medical Center Lobby, near the main front entrance and right next to the Gift Shop. It’s open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Users do not have to be UW Medical Center patients; others in the UW community and the public are welcome, too.
Andrea Dotson, health educator and Resource Center manager, is available most days when the center is open. She generally works with a volunteer or another staff member.
Two days a week, that volunteer is Jane Anderson, who retired last year from a health care administration position at another institution. She has found her background in health care valuable in helping people find answers to their questions, but she also counts providing a friendly face and a listening ear as part of the service.
“Especially when people are here from out of town, I think they value being able to come here and find a ‘comfort zone.’ Sometimes it means a lot just to be able to copy a form or fax an insurance claim.
“We make a point of greeting everyone who comes in and learning what we can do to meet their needs. It’s very satisfying to be able to help someone — it feels very worthwhile,” she said.
In addition to the business center for faxing, printing, copying and calling, three types of resources are offered: brochures and pamphlets, many prepared by UW Medical Center staff; a collection of books, and access to bookmarks for a selected group of Web sites. Community resources such as support groups for specific diseases and non-profit groups are included.
“We emphasize the importance of discussing information with the health-care provider,” Dotson said. “Our goal is to help visitors find the information they are looking for and to encourage them to share that information with their provider as appropriate. ”
There are four computers for resource-seekers; all of them are set up with moveable and adaptable screens and keyboards.
“One of the requests we had from our patient and family advisory group was that everything be as accessible as possible for people in wheelchairs or with other disabilities. We’ve built that accessibility into the design,” Dotson said.
The advisory group also helped evaluate Web sites to be bookmarked and books for the reference collection.
Although such a center had been on the “wish list” at UW Medical Center for several years, it became a reality when an increased emphasis on providing information and education intersected with a remodel of the main lobby area. Reconfiguration of the lobby provided a space that was centrally located, yet could be closed off when not in use. The Resource Center operates as part of Patient and Family Education Services.
For more information, call the Health Information Resource Center between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday at 206-598-7960 or send e-mail to healthed@u.washington.edu.
