DelMIRA - the Delaware Medical Information Resource Alliance provides access to electronic databases, textbooks, and journals to most acute care hospitals in the state along with the Delaware Division of Public Health and the Delaware Division of Substance Abuse & Mental Health. In the 2009 calendar year DelMIRA saved each participating institution approximately $50,000 and there were over 55,000 information requests made within the DelMIRA system.

In this fiscal year (FY10) DelMIRA is funded by member institutions and supplemented by a grant and resultant contract with the State of Delaware from the Delaware Health Fund Advisory Committee.  For FY08, limited resources were provided at no charge to participants.  In FY09, participants began contributing financially, with an increased finacial responsbility in FY 2010. The goal was that, by FY12, DelMIRA would be well-positioned to provide access to a full complement of online resources for clinicians in Delaware with no state funding support.

Unfortunately, due to the extraordinary economic crisis facing the nation and the State of Delaware, the recommendation of the Delaware Health Fund Advisory Committee was to eliminate all funding for DelMIRA for FY11 and beyond. The Delaware Academy of Medicine is committed to maintaining the DelMIRA program, and is working toward this goal.

DelMIRA was created to address the disparity in access to biomedical information and health data that exists statewide and affects all types of health care institutions. Having desktop access to this information improves patient outcomes and quality of care, as well as provider productivity by enabling the clinicians to make the best-informed clinical decisions at crucial points-of-care. DelMIRA will also help Delaware to be more competitive in recruitment and retention of health care professionals, particularly nurses, which is a goal of Healthy Delaware 2010.

This program draws on the resources of the Delaware Division of Libraries and the Delaware Academy of Medicine, both members of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine - Middle Atlantic Region .

CLICK HERE to visit the DelMIRA website. If you have questions about this program, please contact Robb Mackes at (302) 733-3989, or send an email to him at the following address: rmackes@delamed.org