The Cranston Public Library has annopunced the launch of “Healthy Families at the Cranston Public Library.” Through a grant awarded by the Network of the National Libraries of Medicine, the Healthy Families Initiative aims to connect people with factual and timely health information. Ideally, the initiative will reach multiple populations in Cranston and surrounding communities, with a specific focus on households where more than one language is spoken.

Through programming and services, Healthy Families aims to engage with members of the community around current health topics, and help library patrons of all ages find up-to-date, accurate information regarding healthy living as well as disease management and prevention. The initiative will empower families through carefully curated materials, and increase access to dependable library and local community resources.

“Our goal is to encourage library patrons to recognize the library as a confidential place for free health information in English and other languages,” said Carla Jaggi, project coordinator for the grant. “We currently have a Healthy Families Kiosk at the Central Library with printed material on multiple topics in both English and Spanish, and plan to add a touch-screen, interactive element in the near future.”

“The Cranston Public Library staff has been specially trained to direct patrons to multilingual, multicultural health resources,” said Julie Holden, Assistant Library Director. “Our partnerships with the OneCranston Health Equity Zone (HEZ) and the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center ensure that we are bringing the best information to the community.”

“In addition to library resources, we will be presenting several in-person and virtual programs on a wide range of health topics from area experts,” said Zachary Berger, adult services librarian. “This is a continuation of health-related programming that we began during the height of the pandemic, and we are excited to use this grant funding to continue our efforts.”

Upcoming programs include Eating for Better Brain Health on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m., Our Brains and Healthy Aging on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 2:30 p.m. and Meditation for Everyday Living at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1.

You can learn more about the Healthy Families Initiative, and register for upcoming programs by visiting: https://cranstonlibrary.org/healthy-families

This project is funded by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Cooperative Agreement Number UG4LM012347 with the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester.