The Mental Health Information Network (MHIN) of Metro Boston is a three year NLM Information Systems Grant funded by the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The Boston University Medical Center (BUMC), Alumni Medical Library, in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Mental Health (DMH), Metro Boston Area is providing an integrative information resource, as well as training, service, and access to consumers and staff of Metro Boston Area Centers, treatment centers, service providers, consumer advocacy groups, club houses and other affiliated organizations.

MHIN is facilitating access to information on mental illness/health and physical illness/health through the development of the MHIN website which will provide a comprehensive access point for quality-filtered information and links, as well as content information and materials provided by DMH and other mental health information providers. The site will serve as a mental health information resource for consumers and staff in the Metro Boston area, as well as regionally, and nationally.

Information skills training workshops will be provided for DMH consumers and staff in the Metro Boston area, through the five area centers, service providers, clubhouses, consumer advocacy, and other affiliated groups and programs. The training will focus on how to effectively search the Web for mental health and physical health information, including MedlinePlus, PubMed, and other NLM databases and resources. Information skills training will be provided by BUMC librarians, and will evolve during the grant period to include train-the-trainer sessions and development of an online tutorial to help guarantee sustainability at the end of the grant. The library will also provide a reference and information resource referral service, via e-mail and telephone, and interlibrary loan service in support of mental health consumers and staff.

In order to provide access to the MHIN website, computers and printers (approximately 20 per year) will be provided to key sites such as area centers and service providers throughout the Metro Boston Area. The computers will also serve to provide small group training sites for consumers and staff learning to locate health information resources.