The U.S./Mexico border area of southern New Mexico has a high poverty rate and an ethnically diverse population. It contains several medically underserved areas and health professional shortage areas. The need for medical information is great. The seventeen member Border Health Information and Education Network is committed to creating opportunities to improve the health behaviors of the residents of this region by providing increased access to quality and reliable health information in English and Spanish for consumers and health professionals/ educators. Led by the New Mexico State University Library, the consortium specifically aims to: 1. Identify and provide quality consumer health-related information in online and other formats 2. Provide timely and quality health-related research information and other health reference information to health professionals, educators, and students (doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, faculty, librarians, and students) 3. Develop an information network for the participant institutions 4. Provide information literacy training for health professionals/educators and consumers The energy and enthusiasm of the seventeen partners, and the recognition that health information can improve the quality of people's lives, is conveyed by the projects acronym, BIEN!, which is Spanish for """"""""well!""""""""
