08/22/2007

Record-Eagle/Tyler Sipe
Munson Community Health Library coordinator Chris Allen has been at the helm of the library since its opening in 2000.

A Medical Resource

Munson Community Health Library is available to public as well as staff

BY EMMY PARSONS
eparsons@record-eagle.com

Record-Eagle/Tyler Sipe
Ginny Loomis, a nurse for Munson’s spine and nerve pain treatment center, uses a library computer.

TRAVERSE CITY — Sandy Cartwright began searching for information about Celiac Disease as soon as she was diagnosed in 1991.

But aside from what the doctors told her, she could find little information about the autoimmune intestinal disorder that is triggered by gluten found in products like wheat, rye and barley.

"I didn't have the knowledge, but neither did the medical community,” Cartwright said.

Cartwright even had a difficult time finding information in the doctor's library at Munson Medical Center, which she began visiting after starting a Celiac Disease support group in 1996.

Then the hospital created the Munson Community Health Library in 2000. With an extensive collection of medical books, videos and online data bases and journals, Cartwright could suddenly research everything from symptoms of the disorder to recipes for a gluten-free diet.

"Without the ability of using that library, I wouldn't have access to nearly as much information as I do,” Cartwright said.

Chris Allen, coordinator of the library, and her small staff assist visitors in searching through the collections and compiling information about diagnoses, treatments, medications and more. All of their services are free.

"It was a gift back to the community in a lot of ways because the community was such a good supporter of Munson,” Allen said.

Ruth Ann LaMott turned to the library when she and a group of breast cancer survivors began the Munson Navigator Program to support women newly diagnosed with the disease.

"The library can provide really accurate information for them in making their decision about which treatment they may choose,” LaMott said. "And they also have Web sites that are considered to be medically accurate in searching information about their diagnosis.”

Even the simple task of directing patients to specific Web sites is helpful, LaMott said.

"When you do a search on the Internet, you have all this information now pop up,” LaMott said. "So it's really hard to be able to differentiate between all the different sources that come up. You know, which ones are really legitimate and can be trusted to have accurate information?”

But it is not just the general community that takes advantage of what the library has to offer. Ginny Loomis, a nurse at Munson in the Spine and Nerve Treatment Center, said that she visits the library nearly every day on her work break.

"You wouldn't think of a medical library as a good read, but there's a lot of good stuff in here,” Loomis said.

On her daily visits, Loomis looks up information for patients and herself and even checks out the occasional children's book for her grandson.

"I just can't come up with anything that these ladies can't find something about,” Loomis said. "It might take them a day or two, but they'll get it.”

The library is located in the Munson Community Health Center on Munson Avenue at the south entrance. It is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It is closed on the weekends and from noon to 12:30 p.m. daily.

To reach the library, call (231) 935-9265 or visit www.munsonhealthcare.org.