Free Health Information Resources

The Area Health Education Center Libraries and the UAMS Library are committed to providing current and relevant information to Arkansas. Contact Jon Goodell at jgoodell@uams.edu or 501-526-5641 for help with any of the following.

General Health

• MedlinePlus - The consumer health information (CHI) website from the National Library of Medicine. Contains dictionaries, encyclopedias, drug information etc. Also available in Spanish/Espanol.
• Genetics Home Reference - The National Library of Medicine's web site for consumer information about genetic conditions and the genes or chromosomes responsible for those conditions.
• HealthFinder.gov - U.S. Government Consumer Health Web Site with links to online publications, clearinghouses, databases, support groups and not-for-profit organizations.
• Healthyminds - This site from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) contains a FAQ on psychiatry and expert opinions on various mental health issues; fact sheets, brochures on anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, phobias, and other topics; resources for locating a psychiatrist; and more. 

Health Insurance

• Medicaid - Pays for medical services for needy and low income persons. Also see enrollment information.
• Medicare - Pays for medical services for adults 65 and older and disabled persons. Also see enrollment information.

Healthcare Research

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
• Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC) - Nonprofit corporation dedicated to the clinical evaluation and improvement of health care in Arkansas. See their healthcare reports.
• ClinicalTrials.gov - Registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the U.S. and around the world.
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - The U.S. Food And Drug Administration Home Page.
• HealthCare.gov - Locate health insurance, learn about illness prevention, compare healthcare providers, and get information about the Affordable Care Act of March 2010.
• PubMed - Includes over 20 million biomedical literature citations and abstracts in medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and preclinical sciences.

Safe Searching

• MedlinePlus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing - What should you look for when evaluating the quality of health information on Web sites? Here are some suggestions based on our experience.
• Medical Library Association Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health Information on the Web - This guide outlines the collective wisdom of medical librarians who surf the Web every day to discover quality information in support of clinical and scientific decision making by doctors, scientists, and other health practitioners responsible for the nation's health.

Children and K-12 School Students

• Teen Health - Information and Resources for high school students.
• KidsHealth - Sections for parents, children, and teens. Provided by The Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media.
• BAM! Body and Mind - From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Information for healthy lifestyle choices.
• Kidd Safety - Consumer Product Safety Commission website geared to prevent unreasonable risks of injuries to children associated with consumer products.
• K-12 Education Portal - Web portal from the University of Arkansas research libraries.
• K-12 Science and Health Education - U.S. Department of Health & Human Services working with teachers and scientific experts to provide free reliable resources to introduce, reinforce, and supplement education programs.
• Home Safety Council - HSC has created a first-of-its-kind online tool to help people find and fix the leading causes of accidents in the home.
• MedlinePlus Children's Page - Learn about everything from how the body works to what happens when you go to the hospital. Quizzes, games and lots of cool web sites for you to explore.
• National Library of Medicine Online Exhibitions and Digital Products - Program produces exhibition-specific educational resources, such as lesson plans, higher education modules, online activities, and bibliographies of suggested reading or web resources related to the exhibition topic. These resources are for educators in diverse disciplines and who teach at different levels.
• ToxMystery - Toxie the Cat helps kids find the hazards hidden in each room and offers hints when needed. When all the risky spots in the house have been discovered, Toxie dances and celebrates and players can print a personalized certificate of completion.

Dangerous Materials

• Household Products Database - Links over 6,000 consumer brands to health effects from Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and allows scientists and consumers to research products based on chemical ingredients.
• Poison Control Center - Call 1-800-222-1222 for emergency poisoning, infectious disease, and public health emergency information.
• RadTown USA - Radiation is natural and all around us. It can be man-made too. But it's nothing new. It is, quite simply, part of our lives. RadTown USA is a virtual community showing a wide variety of radiation sources and uses as you may encounter them in everyday life. From the US Environmental Protection Agency
• Tox Town - An introduction to toxic chemicals and environmental health risks you might encounter in everyday life, in everyday places. Also available in Spanish/Espanol.