Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media

Online social networking isn't just for chatting and reconnecting with former schoolmates. The Mayo Clinic is launching its own social network site, The Center for Social Media, "aimed at both health care professionals and patients. Some of the services of the center include training for health care employees, consulting and coaching for organizations that want to engage in social media activities, information resources, and conferences and other events."

The public will also be able to access new information on a variety of health issues and treatments, and become more informed and empowered concerning their own health care. To learn more about this initiative, read this article from CNN.com:

Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media

or just visit the Center at http://socialmedia.mayoclinic.org/

According to Dr. Victor Montori, who helped launch the social media effort, "debates surrounding health care have been about government, corruption, and information being hidden, giving the impression that health care is not about the patient anymore. One of the areas where patients can actually actively pursue bringing health care back, so that it will be about them again, is in spaces where they’re able to express this, demand this, and do this in ways that are very effective. I think social media is one of those spaces."

Me, too.