The Three Rivers TRIAD (Training, Resources, Information and Delivery) Project was created and developed by the Resources Advisory Committee of the Three Rivers Area Health Education Center. It responds to the resources, information access and training needs of rural and urban health care professionals and institutions in 28 counties in West Central Georgia, of which 26 have been designated as HPSA (Health Professional Shortage Areas) or MUA (Medically Underserved Areas). TRIAD was designed to: 1) improve connectivity and sharing among the existing resources (people, services and information) in that area, 2) increase access to those resources by both health care professionals and institutions thereby strengthening the relationship between them, and 3) promote the development, exchange and delivery of information by offering training in the use of computer technology and electronic resources. The project networks twelve sites which include the AHEC office; three nationally and internationally respected health care institutions with well-established professionally-staffed libraries; three community hospitals with minimal library service components; and five clinical practice sites offering primary care to largely poor, rural and/or geriatric populations. The major components needed to proceed with the project are 1) hiring an Outreach Librarian to help provide services, support and training; 2) upgrading, adding or introducing computer equipment at all sites; 3) creating an electronic network among the sites using the Georgia Interactive Network for Medical Information (GAIN) as a platform with customized electronic products developed to meet local needs; and 4) offering training, workshops and other educational events to increase the computer skills of health care professionals and site contacts in order to improve the quality and quantity of their network participation and maximize their utilization of the available resources and information.
