Healthy Families at the Cranston Public Library

The goal of this project is to introduce and provide health information and access to all residents of Cranston, with a focus on the primary languages that our English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) residents read, speak, and write. CPL will position the library as a trusted resource for fact-finding and a source for combating health misinformation. CPL will partner with local community organizations to identify and reach out to those who could benefit from the library’s resources, who either use the library currently or who have never used the library. 

In partnership with the OneCranston Health Equity Zone (HEZ), as a resident-driven initiative aimed at addressing the root causes of health disparities primarily in the Arlington, Stadium, and Laurel Hill neighborhoods of Cranston, we will provide health programming to address health and wellness needs in the city. CPL will coordinate with the HEZ to identify people and interest areas and use a combination of in-library services and library programming to help ESOL 

patrons gain access to trusted health information in a location that is familiar and family-friendly. In addition to working with the HEZ, the library will coordinate with the HEZ to identify speakers and interest areas and use a combination of in-library services and programming to help ESOL patrons gain access to trusted health information in a location that is accessible. In addition to working with the HEZ, the library will introduce this effort to the incoming ESL classes that the Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative (RIFLI) conducts at the library’s Central, William Hall, and Auburn locations.