Central American Network for Disaster and Health Information (CANDHI): enhancing information management capacities at health sciences libraries promotes disaster preparedness

The Central American Network for Disaster and Health Information (CANDHI) is a group of health science libraries working together to enhance information management capacities with a goal of contributing to disaster preparedness. After several disasters, NLM, PAHO, and the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction sought to strengthen the health information infrastructure in Central America. In 2001, they began providing financial and technical support to the Centro Regional de Información sobre Desastres (CRID) to help countries disseminate information. CRID helped the libraries establish disaster information centers, now linked as CANDHI.  CANDHI has 9 centers in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala (funded by the U.K.). Centers in Panama and Costa Rica will be added soon (funded by ECHO). The ce nters now have the skills and resources to organize and disseminate information including technological infrastructure, information management skills, and product development (digital library). CANDHI also builds institutional capacities to help facilitate disaster preparedness activities. This collaboration serves as a model for health science library advancement.