Health Connect of South Dakota

Health Connect of South Dakota is partnering with the Viborg Public Library, Parker Public Library, Hudson Library, and Beresford Public Library to connect community health workers with rural libraries in Southeastern South Dakota. This project will provide education and support for librarians in rural communities on how to communicate and interact with patrons who are seeking assistance in navigating the social and health service systems and bring community health workers into rural public libraries to educate and connect community members to services for consistent and sustained preventive care and treatment. Activities include: hiring a community health worker (CHW); convening a working group of library partners and the CHW; developing and administering a survey to assess library staff knowledge of social determinants of health and resources and services in the community; conducting a social needs environmental scan of each community to identify business, housing, social, and health resources that are and are not available; facilitating a one-day training for library staff; and developing telehealth capabilities specific to each participating library. The project will result in library staff with a deeper understanding of local social determinants of health and the knowledge of and skills to communicate with patrons about available social and health resources; library patrons with increased access to services; and a more collaborative relationship between library staff and community health workers.