Ni Mi Way will be the outcome of a University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth Campus UMMS Duluth and Bois Forte Band of Chippewa partnership, its conceptualization is a joint effort of the Project Director and a Bois Forte community leader who is a certified Assistive Technology Professional. She will provide assistive technology training and project guidance in this area. Ni Mi Way means I am well in the Ojibwe language; it has been chosen as this projects title to represent how it will foster empowerment of Bois Forte band members as Ojibwe people to become well-informed health consumers in control of their own wellbeing, and who in turn, will work to build a community strong in physical, emotional, mental, environmental and spiritual health. Ni Mi Way will help facilitate this process using its primary goal of ensuring that all band members have equal access to the wealth of credible online health information. Four health information kiosks will be strategically placed at sites where large pockets of band members reside: Bois Forte Health Services Nett Lake and Bois Forte Health Clinic-Vermilion and Duluth and Minneapolis 98 Offices. Each kiosk will feature free, reliable internet service and up-to-date computers outfitted with assistive technology equipment and specialized software for people with physical disabilities, varied literacy levels or are deaf/hard of hearing or blind/near blind. To better ensure information originates from trusted sources, MedlinePlus will be the browser default home page. There will also be staff persons on site to aid people who desire assistance. Staff will be familiar with computer use, software, resources such as MedlinePlus and Native Voices and a NLM librarian will be invited to provide staff training. Kiosks will allow patients to sign up for and access the My Health electronic patient record system thereby making their records transparent information sources that help them gain fuller understanding of their own health. Project evaluation will consist of tracking hits on the default browser page, signing of guest books and optional surveys. Plans will be made for continued evaluation beyond this NLM project cycle.
Project Details
University of Minnesota - Duluth
Anna Wirta Kosobuski