By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Some of the same materials read by doctors can be accessed by anyone in the Niles area.
The Buchanan Area Health Resource Library in Lakeland Hospital- Niles allows community members, patients and their families to browse stacks of medical books and internet sites. The materials can be accessed at the library or be checked out for home use.
The resource center was created with the help of the Unity Hospital Education Fund from the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation and is a partnership between Lakeland and the Niles District Library.
Visitors to the library can browse stacks of books, periodicals and brochures that cover all areas of medicine while enjoying the facility's massage chair, water fountain and Michigan Gateway Mural.
Patrons can also check the resources out for use at home, Albers said.
Materials from the Resource Library at the Lakeland, St. Joseph site can also be made available to people in Niles through the facilities' online checkout and delivery service. LibraryNet allows visitors to view the entire Health Resource Library on the web. Patrons can then order the materials at the library or online, have them delivered and available for check out by the next day, Albers said.
The material borrowed from across the county can also be returned to the Niles location.
Other online information is available as well, such as the HealthLinks program that provides access to more than 300 medically sound and accurate web sites to assist with health care choices.
Plus, patients can use the interactive videos on Wired MD to learn about the most common diagnoses, treatment plans and procedures.
The Resource Center is staffed with volunteers from the community, including high school and college students and retired teachers, Albers said. Plus, Albers said members of the hospital's professional staff are also available for support.
People can get their medical training at the Buchanan Area Health Resource Library on Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.