Three Rivers Area Health Education Center (AHEC) proposes a third phase of the TRIAD Project begun under an NLM Information Access grant. TRIAD III will add eight (8) new sites to the current twenty-six (26) sites funded under TRIAD I and TRIAD II and a NN/LM subcontract. TRIAD III will continue to be guided by the Learning Resources Committee and to focus on the same overall objectives of: 1) improving connectivity and sharing of resources, 2) increasing access to resources and strengthening relationships between the institutions and professionals, and 3) promoting the development, exchange, and delivery of information by computer technology and electronic resources. TRIAD III will emphasize accessing the consumer health/patient education information on the World Wide Web, Mercer University?s PEACHI Web Page, the Peyton Anderson Health Center Consumer Health Library, and the Web-based Clinical Digital Libraries designed by the University of Alabama Information Science Students. This emphasis will be promoted along with the Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, and Mental Health resources currently available to TRIAD members. Included in the current network are: the AHEC office, four health care institutions with well-developed collections and professional librarians, four community hospitals with minimal library components and no librarians, four rural hospitals struggling to survive in the managed care environment, five clinical practice sites, six rural primary care clinics, a branch campus of a rural technical school with a health care curriculum, and a district public health department. Two of the large health care institutions have family practice residency programs that the project has also supported. The expanded network will add one small rural hospital, two urban hospitals, four clinical practice sites, (one is a rural health clinic), and a county health department. Many of these new sites are actively involved in clinical training of our students. The TRIAD III will specifically aim to: 1) expand the existing network of 26 by installing computer equipment, establishing connectivity,, and providing training at 8 new sites; 2) promote library and information services at all sites through the Outreach Librarian and Web Pages; 3) provide support in locating quality patient education and consumer health information to all sites; 4) provide computer workshops on new technologies and electronic access to area health professionals and students; 5) support the recruitment and retention efforts of hospitals and clinics in the Three Rivers service area.
