ALERT: AIDS occurrence far higher than supposed

Referring to the situation as a 'wake up call,' the CDC expresses a need for action and improved or expanded education and support. See the AIDS.gov blog post for more information - and then increase your awareness by looking at displays created on Healthinfo Island by two AIDS and HIV support groups who share our space.

For 'real world' information please visit the AIDS.gov site, and also MedlinePlus.gov. For questions and health information support free of charge, contact Carolina Keats, medical and consumer health librarian, in Second Life.

Stroke Awareness Exhibit Now at Healthinfo Island

A project of the Occupational Therapy Center at Jefferson in Second Life, the Stroke Awareness Exhibit can now be seen on Healthinfo Island, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/63/142/21/



The interactive display was developed by graduate students in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Jefferson College of Health Professions in Philadelphia, PA, USA, under the direction of Zsuzsa Tomsen (Susan Toth-Cohen in RL). The exhibit consists of 3 presentations about stroke--including types of stroke, statistics, and rehabilitation. There is a 2-question quiz after each presentation. Visitors also can collect free brain-themed prizes - t-shirts, a necklace, and a hat.

When the Jefferson Faculty-Student team first discussed having an exhibit for Stroke Awareness Month (May 2008), the original idea was to have displays of topics related to stroke, video, and quizzes. "However," says Zsuzsa, "when the occupational therapy graduate students and I brainstormed (!), they suggested that we have a walk-through artery. Further, the students suggested the idea of 'clot dissolving quizzes--' made so that the visitor could pass through only if (s)he got the quiz questions right."

"This was a big turning point for our exhibit planning. A later trip to the Tech Museum of Innovation also provided some good ideas for how to better utilize the 3D world for healthcare related exhibits."

The Occupational Therapy Center blog can be found at: http://otsecondlife.wordpress.com/ for more information about their exhibits and the process of their creation.