The Flu Near You
With one of the most serious flu seasons in decades sweeping the nation, it’s good to keep track of what bugs are going around your neighborhood. The Flu Near You is your chance to do that and give back, too. This collaboration between American Public Health Association and the Skoll Global Threats Fund lets users monitor flu symptoms in their area while they report their own—furthering understanding of flu and disease spread. A vaccine finder, disease alert emails, and public health links are also included in the site offerings.
Disaster Hero
Why be a disaster victim, when you can be a disaster hero? This online game will make sure the kids you care about are the latter. With a mix of action-based play and disaster quizzes, Disaster Hero is a fun way for children in grades 1-8 to learn what to do in a number of disaster situations, including tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. Information and resources for parents and teachers assure Disaster Hero will be popular among the non-kids, too.
Coping with and Mitigating the Effects of Shortages of Emergency Medications
This report examines the shortage of emergency medications—a dearth of which has quadrupled in the past six years—and offers contingency plans for how to address the lack. Published by Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the report was based on lessons learned from a two-day workshop and provides a framework for soldiering through when drugs are in short supply. Among the strategies recommended for addressing shortfalls are preparation, substitution, conservation, reuse, and reallocation.
Global Catastrophic Risk Institute
The Global Catastrophic Risk Institute is a nonprofit effort to bring together research, education, and professional communities that can help the world better reduce the risk of global catastrophes. From raising awareness to connecting thought leaders on topic of catastrophe, this think tank is reaching across disciplines, professions, and other barriers to find opportunities to reduce risk. Visit the site to peruse the organization’s publications, find additional resources, or collaborate with members of the institute’s network.
Ambulance Riding Librarian
What’s embedded librarianship? What’s an information professional doing on an ambulance? And why does she have a bag of fake eyeballs? Those questions and more can be found in this quirky blog that chronicles the adventures of Kacy Allgood as she roles up her sleeves and gets a healthy dose of what’s on the flip side of the health information curation.