HKN Begins

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In spring 1994, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) awards the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta a $248K grant for the creation of an Alberta Health Knowledge Network. Supporters, including the Universities of Alberta and Calgary, several Calgary and Edmonton area hospitals, and a number of health associations, match the grant to support quick and equitable access to current health information. Supporters of the initiative find that graduates of Alberta’s medical schools do not have the same access to health information as they had while in school. The Alberta Health Knowledge Network is intended to bridge the digital divide between what is available at the Universities and in health care facilities. The Alberta Health Knowledge Network, now known as HKN, becomes fully operational in July 1994 and has its official launch on October 14. The first collection of HKN resources includes MEDLINE, CancerLit, HealthPlan (HealthStar), CINAHL, Current Contents, and the New England Journal of Medicine.