Internet Connection of Rural Public Health Centers

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Alaska Section of Public Health Nursing seeks to connect six of the most outlying remote rural public health centers to the Statewide WAN and to insure users are well-trained in Internet use. Currently, only four of the largest health centers are connected to the WAN due to lack of funding. Users will be public health nurses, nurse aides, and support staff. The Internet will be used for staff for health-related updates, distance-learning opportunities, research opportunities, health safety alerts, continuing education credits, utilization of offerings of the National Library of Medicine and The Alaska State Library, and collaboration with other health providers and professionals. Reliable Internet capability is vital. It will aid public health nurses in these remote, outlying areas to provide the most up-to-date public health nursing information and services to their communities. Within the project period, each of the six centers will be connected to a Statewide WAN. The Section of Nursing Information Management Services Unit will provide necessary technology expertise under direct supervision of a Health Program Manager. The Principal Investigator will lead this team. Project outcomes are that all six public health centers will be connected to the WAN by the end of the project period. Also, a librarian from The University of Alaska, Anchorage, will train all users in the use of the Internet. Outcomes will be measured by counting the number of fully functional Internet connections and counting the number of fully trained users by the end of the project period.