Consumer Education
Living Healthy - An Educated
Choice
HRSA's Consumer Education Program
provides health-related information which will help you and your
family live healthier lives. Whether you are a mom, dad, teen, grandparent
or young adult, HRSA has information and resources that can improve
your health and make a difference. HRSA also has information to
assist care givers and health care providers. Living healthy really
is an educated choice!
Finding
Health Care
For information about your state's program offering free or low-cost
health insurance for your child or teen go to
Insure Kids Now.
HRSA’s
Health Center Locator can help you find a health center in your
community. These health centers serve all who walk through their
doors, regardless of ability to pay.
Free or reduced health care is also available
at some facilities nationwide through
HRSA’s Hill-Burton program.
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Staying Healthy
On the Agency
for Health Care Research and Quality's Consumers & Patients
page, the publication entitled The
Pocket Guide to Staying Healthy at 50+ has information on checkups,
immunizations and adopting healthy habits for people over 50. HRSA's
publication Nutrition
and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides information
for families and children about how to stay healthy and active.
Promoting Organ
Donation
You can give the Gift of Life by becoming an organ donor. More than
75,000 Americans are waiting for an organ transplant because too
few of us are willing to be organ and tissue donors. HHS Secretary
Tommy G. Thompson has launched an
Organ Donor initiative to promote organ donation and encourage
people to make an informed decision about organ donation.
Promoting Health
Careers
If you are interested in a health profession, HRSA's publication
entitled The
Allied Health Professions: Opportunities for Minority Students --
A Career Guidebook, 2000 may be helpful to you. This guidebook
introduces students to allied health careers and provides information
for those interested in pursuing such a career.
HRSA's Kids
Into Health Careers campaign has information about encouraging
children and young adults to pursue a rewarding career in the health
care field. Financial aid information is also included.
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Caring for People with HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS continues to be a major health problem facing us all. HRSA
provides HIV/AIDS information for clinicians who care for people
living with HIV/AIDS. HRSA's Ryan White CARE Act program developed
A Guide
to the Clinical Care of Women with HIV.
Raising Healthy
Children
To help parents raise healthy children, the HRSA-supported
Bright Futures initiative provides expert advice and guidelines
on practical ways to supervise the health of infants, children and
adolescents ages 0-21. Bright Futures includes information on nutrition,
oral health, mental health, physical activity and healthy families.
Preventing School
Violence
Violence in our schools is a serious problem and bullying behavior
is part of the problem. HRSA has created a "Lend A Hand - Stop
Bullying Now" campaign with a Web site specifically designed
for children to help educate them, their parents, and teachers about
recognizing and understanding what bullying is and how to stop it.
Visit our Web site at www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov
and meet all the great Webisode cartoon characters and learn how
to stop bullying.
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Improving Mental
Health
Information on improving the mental health of children, young people
and their families is available from the HRSA funded
Center for School Mental Health Assistance at the University
of Maryland School of Medicine and the
Center for Mental Health in Schools at the University of California
in Los Angeles.
Prenatal and Newborn
Care
Order your free Health
Diary: Myself, My Baby from HRSA Information Center. It contains
information on fetal and child development, prenatal and newborn
care and an immunization table. There is also a section where you
can record and track your prenatal and pediatric appointments.
Diabetes
HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care has developed the Lower Extremity
Amputation Prevention Program also known as the LEAP
Program. Learn more about the steps you can take to reduce your
risk of lower extremity amputation.
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More Health
Links
Government Sites:
FirstGov
FirstGov is the official government gateway to Federal, state,
local, and tribal information, programs, funding, news releases,
phone directories and more.
Health Information
Healthfinder is a free
guide to reliable health information where you can select online
publications, clearinghouses, databases, web sites, support and
self-help groups, as well as other government agencies and not-for-profit
organizations.
AIDS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established
the National Prevention Information
Network which provides information and resources on HIV disease
and treatment. They can be reached toll free at 1-800-458-5231.
The HIV/AIDS Treatment Information
Service which is sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine,
provides up to date HIV/AIDS treatment information and referrals
including clinical trials. They can be reached toll free at 1-800-448-0440.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, REACH
(Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health) develops
and tests new ways to help families manage the daily activities
and stress of caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Closing the Health Gap
HHS's national campaign
Closing the Health Gap offers information about bringing the
best health information to African American communities.
Drug Abuse
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH, produced a very informative
web page, Mind
Over Matter Index, which explains to children in grades 5-9
the effects of drug abuse on the body and brain.
Elderly
The Administration on Aging
provides health information, elder care service locator, resource
directory, safety tips, hotline for legal advice and much more for
older people.
Food Safety
The Food and Drug Administration has good advice and information
on a variety of consumer issues including food safety, foodborne
illness, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and more. Visit the FDA
Consumer Advice web page.
Medicare and Medicaid
Visit HHS’s Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services to learn about how these programs
work and the services they provide.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Should you need or want information or assistance for a mental
health or substance abuse problem, HHS’s Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) can
help.
Safer Health Care
Each year its estimated that between 44,000 and 98,000 people die
in U.S. hospitals because of lapses in patient safety. A Task Force,
led by the Agency for Health Care Quality and Research, has developed
Five Steps to
Safer Health Care to help patients avoid medical errors and
misunderstandings. They are:
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Speak up if you have questions.
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Keep a list of all medicines you take.
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Make sure you get the results of any
test or procedure.
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Talk with your doctor and health care
team about your options if you need hospital care.
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Make sure you understand what will
happen if you need surgery.
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Non-Government Sites:
Alcohol Addiction
The Al-Anon Family
Group Headquarters, Inc is an international organization dedicated
to the support and recovery of families and friends of alcoholics.
This self-help program is based on 12 steps towards personal growth
and change. You can locate the nearest support group through this
site’s locator service.
Birth Defects
The March of Dimes has
resources for reducing infant mortality, birth defects, prenatal
care, and more.
Cancer
The American Cancer Society
provides information, support, and resources to answer your cancer
related questions.
Diabetes
The American Diabetes Association
can explain the difference between juvenile and adult diabetes,
the warning signs, and the important role your diet and exercise
play in avoiding and improving this diagnosis.
Heart Disease and Stroke
The American Heart Association
has information on how to fight heart disease and stroke and even
get lessons on CPR.
Mental Health
The National Mental Health Association
provides helpful information on a variety of mental health topics.
Find a local mental health association or health facility or browse
news and events.
Poison Control 1-800-222-1222
Administered by the American
Association of Poison Control Centers, this public service will
instantly connect you to the nearest poison control center.
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Check back with us often as we add new
consumer information to help you grow healthier.
Send comments about this page to Brad.Read@hrsa.hhs.gov
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