Recognizing the need to improve health information outreach to special populations, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine – New England Region (NN/LM NER) targeted its core outreach services in a focused geographic area. The purpose of the focused outreach approach was to increase access to accurate and reliable health information in communities experiencing health disparities; and to collect process and outcomes evaluation data for program improvement. The project was conceptualized in three phases: 1) Community Assessment: a systematic approach to understanding the community and connecting NN/LM NER with community-based organizations serving the targeted population; 2) Focused Outreach Implementation: a tailored approach using the existing promotional framework of NN/LM NER and its resources; and 3) Evaluation: a comprehensive approach to looking at and documenting the process of conducting focused health information outreach and assessing outputs and outcomes as a way of measuring the effectiveness of the model. Two communities were selected for focused outreach – Providence, Rhode Island’s Latino community and rural residents in Western Maine (Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford Counties)
