Libraries are becoming hubs for public health across the U.S.

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Category: Health

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Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. urban / ˈɜr bən / (adj.) – relating to cities or areas where many people live and work
    Example:

    Many people live in urban areas because there are more jobs and schools.


  2. leverage / ˈlɛv ər ɪdʒ / (v.) – to use something you have to gain a benefit or achieve a goal
    Example:

    Donna plans to leverage her years of experience to get a better job.


  3. reputation / ˌrɛp yəˈteɪ ʃən / (n.) – the common opinion that people have about someone or something based on their actions or behavior
    Example:

    The company has a good reputation for customer service.


  4. surplus / ˈsɜr plʌs / (adj.) – more than what is needed or required
    Example:

    The store has surplus items that they will sell at a lower price.


  5. peer / pɪər / (n.) – a person who is the same age, or has the same status or abilities as another person
    Example:

    Kayla often asks her peers for advice on how to improve her writing skills.


Article

Read the text below.

The mobile clinic is one of several health programs offered by libraries across the U.S.—from tiny rural town libraries to large urban systems. They offer fitness classes, food pantries, cooking classes, conversations about loneliness and mental health, and even blood pressure monitors that can be checked out just like books.


The public health programs leverage libraries’ reputation as sources of reliable information and their ability to reach people beyond formal healthcare settings. No money, insurance, language skills, or ID required, no limits on age. All are welcome.


Libraries are “the last true public institution,” said Jaime Placht, a health and well-being specialist at the Kansas City Public Library system in Kansas City, Missouri, which has a full-time social work team. “The library is a public health space.”


The Kansas City Public Library, along with Milwaukee and several others, is part of the American Heart Association’s Libraries with Heart program. Several Kansas City branches have blood pressure stations—which Placht said have been used 13,000 times—as well as take-home blood pressure kits that have been checked out nearly 100 times. The program started there about a year ago.


“We have patrons that say, ‘Because I used the blood pressure monitor at the library, I went and saw my physician for the first time in a long time,’” Placht said.


There is no local public health office in Jarrell, Texas, a small town between Austin and Waco. But there is a nonprofit library that can connect patrons to mental health help. It’s one of nine rural libraries in central Texas that receives funding from the St. David’s Foundation, the philanthropic arm of one of the state’s largest health systems.


The public library in Smithville, Texas, which also gets money from the Libraries for Health program, stocks boxes of surplus food from area farmers and builds programs that help teens, older adults, and parents address isolation. The library’s peer support specialist has gone from working with four to five people a month to nearly 60 in the community southeast of Austin.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Libraries across the U.S. offer public health programs, such as fitness classes and mental health support, and other programs, such as cooking classes and food pantries. What do you believe should or should not be part of a library’s role? Do you think libraries should be used only for reading? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • How do you think these initiatives benefit the libraries? Do you think libraries will continue to grow as community health hubs in the future? Why or why not? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Public health programs leverage libraries’ trusted reputation and ability to reach beyond formal healthcare settings. Why do you think libraries attract people who may avoid formal healthcare settings (ex. anyone can access public libraries, it’s free)? How do you think public services like libraries can make healthcare more accessible? Discuss.
  • Jaime Placht said that libraries are “the last true public institution.” What do you think he meant by this? Do you believe this statement as well? Why or why not? What is the reputation of public libraries in your country (ex. it’s not useful anymore, it’s a reliable source of information)? Discuss.