New Health Department eResource Guide

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The Vanderburgh County Health Department (VCHD) is pleased to announce the availability of their popular Resource Guide in electronic (e) format.

The VCHD eResource Guide functions as the local phone book’s yellow pages did years ago as the “go to” resource for contact information for desired services, in this case public health related service agencies. It includes telephone numbers, addresses and other information by service provided. The Table of Contents lists each service category alphabetically and agencies are listed alphabetically in each service category.

Production of the Resource Guide started some twenty (20) years ago by the receptionist for the VCHD Public Health Outreach Nurses. The simple, single page guide included a list of telephone numbers to referral and partner agencies commonly requested by individuals visiting the health department. Over time, the list grew and became the VCHD Resource Guide. The Resource Guide is continuously updated, and has been printed numerous times since 1998.

The electronic eResource Guide looks much like the “paper hard copy version”, and includes a hyperlinked table of contents, and clickable links to the websites of the listed agencies. Almost all agencies listed in the eResource Guide have established websites with detailed information about their agency: such as; service(s), location(s), eligibility requirement(s), cost(s) – if any, etc. The Resource Guide is in portable document format (.pdf that can be opened in Adobe Reader), and is attached to this e-mail media release.

Gary Heck, VCHD Administrator says of the eResource Guide: “This is another way the Vanderburgh County Health Department adapts to changing times and tools to provide an essential community service. When individuals and families seek services other than the services currently provided by the Health Department, then our Resource Guide is available to serve as a guide to other community resources. When you have a good, useful resource in paper format (free of charge) and you continue to provide that service, but at the same time provide (24/7/365) availability; and update content continuously; and you provide the ability not only to keep a copy yourself but shared it with the world – repeated and it remains free of charge – then the good, use resource becomes – a tremendously improved resource. A valuable community service (paper version) becomes an extremely valuable community service (both paper and electronic version).” A limited number of hard copies will continue to be available by request to individuals without internet access. Follow the link on the VCHD home page at www.vanderburghgov.org/health to the electronic eResource Guide