Library cardholders can access online databases
for articles on specific subjects!

• Good Starting Points
• Comprehensive Sites
• Age/Gender Specific
• Children
• Men
• Older Adults
• Teens
• Women
• Alternative Medicine
• Clinical Trials
• Dentistry
• Diseases/Conditions
• Doctors, Dentists, Etc.
• Drugs
• End of Life Care
• Flu Shots

• Fraud
• Hospitals
• Human Services
• Insurance
• Living Well
• Fitness
• Nutrition
• Supplements
• Medical Dictionaries
• Mental Health
• News
• Nursing Homes
• Organizations
• Search the Web
• Tests/Treatment
• Travel

• Fairfax County Health Department Clinics
  The county provides location and contact information for seasonal flu and novel H1N1 influenza vaccination clinics. Check this page for up-to-date information on local H1N1 vaccine availability and distribution.

• Fairfax County Public Library
  The library's online calendar of events provides the schedule for flu vaccinations at library branches.

• Flu Clinic Locator
  This site provides the date, phone number, time and address of the clinics offering flu shots at a variety of retail establishments and other locations. The database is searchable by zip code and is updated by the American Lung Association.

• Inova Health System
  Inova's Web site provides flu clinic locations and times throughout Northern Virginia. Clinics are held at Inova Health System facilities, libraries and various other sites throughout the region.

  Note: Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files on this site.
  To obtain a free Reader, follow this link:
  

• Maxim Health Systems
  This site provides the location, phone number, date and times of clinics offering flu shots. Clinics are held at a variety of retail establishments and other locations. The database is searchable by zip code.

• How to Spot Health Fraud
  Tips from the Food and Drug Administration on what to look for in product advertising.

• Best Hospitals
  U.S. News and World Report provides this listing of the "Best Hospitals." Hospitals can be searched by medical specialty, by geographic region or by hospital name. Web links are provided to many of the listed hospitals.

• Hospital Compare
  This site, maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides information on how well individual hospitals care for adult patients with certain medical conditions.

• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
  JCAHO's Quality Check search engine helps you check the accreditation status of hospitals and other health care organizations, including those providing long term care, behavioral care and home care. Performance Reports are available for health care organizations that have undergone a JCAHO accreditation survey. There is no charge for this service.

Human Services

• Emergency Food, Shelter & Health Care Directory
  The Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington provides this searchable directory, which includes information about meals, health care and shelter in the metropolitan Washington area.

• Fairfax County

• Coordinated Services Planning Call Center
  CSP works with Fairfax County residents to assess their needs and link them with public, nonprofit, community-based and private services/resources to meet their needs. In addition to English and Spanish, CSP has staff members who Arabic, Bangla, Creole, Farsi, French, Hindi, Korean, Punjabi, Somali, Urdu and Vietnamese.

• Health and Human Services
  Information on the various services available to residents of Fairfax County.

• Human Services Resource Guide Database
  The HSRG contains detailed service descriptions, eligibility criteria, location, language and contact information for hundreds of organizations providing human services to Fairfax County residents.

• National Capital Region 2-1-1 Database
  Provides information on thousands of health and human services programs available in DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia. Search by type of service needed or keyword and narrow your results by zip code. A list of regional call center phone numbers is also provided for information and referral services by phone.

• Quick Guide Online
  Search by key word or topic for the names and phone numbers of human services resources available throughout Northern Virginia. Provided by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission.

• Choosing Quality Health Care
  The National Committee for Quality Assurance is an independent, nonprofit organization that evaluates the quality of managed care organizations. Create a "Health Plan Report Card" to view the committee's ratings of Health Plans (including HMOs, POS and PPOs) or managed behavioral healthcare organizations.

• Insurance Guides for Consumers
  The Health Insurance Association of America provides a series of insurance guides on disability income, health insurance, long-term care, medical savings accounts, Medicare and general insurance information.

• Medicaid

  • Medicaid
    This official U.S. government site offers information on all aspects of the Medicaid program. Medicaid, which is sponsored by the federal government and administered by the states, is intended to provide health care and health-related services to low-income individuals.

  • Medicaid Information for Virginia
    The Virginia Department of Social Services provides information on the Medicaid program (including the Family Access to Medical Insurance Security Plan, or FAMIS and the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services' Smiles for Children Dental Services program).

• Medicare

  • Medicare
    This official U.S. government site for Medicare information and publications offers a wealth of information on all aspects of the Medicare program. Information and publications are also available in Spanish.

  • Medicare Prescription Drug Program
    Provides basic information on Medicare's new prescription drug program. Those who are already enrolled may be able to get extra help to pay for the monthly premiums, annual deductibles and co-payments related to the program.

  • Medigap Compare
    A new feature which allows a comparison of Medigap (Medicare supplemental insurance) plans, including costs, premiums and services covered. An explanation of Medigap plans is provided. See also the Medicare Participating Physician Directory, discussed above under "Doctors, Dentists, Etc."

• Office of the Managed Care Ombudsman (Virginia)
  The office assists Virginia consumers in understanding and exercising their rights of appeal of adverse decisions made by managed care health insurance plans. The information provided includes a toll free telephone number, an e-mail address and an appeal form which can be downloaded.

• Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program
  The Fairfax County Area Agency on Aging offers free, confidential help and advice about health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, and long-term care insurance. VICAP also helps resolve problems with insurance billing.

• Fitness
• Nutrition
• Supplements

• Fitness

  See also Children's Health, Teen Health and Obesity.

• Fit Facts
  Articles on fitness and exercise provided by the American Council on Exercise.

• The Physician and Sportsmedicine Online
  Articles on exercise, nutrition, injury prevention and rehabilitation from a professional journal covering clinical sports medicine.

• Strength Training for Older Adults
  This program, developed by experts at Tufts University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offers information on the health benefits of strength training, ideas for getting and staying motivated, questions to help determine your current level of strength, preparation tips, exercise log sheets and directions with animated examples of how to perform each exercise.

• Nutrition

  See also Children's Health, Teen Health and Obesity.

• Food and Nutrition Information Center
  The National Agriculture Library provides information on nutrition, physical activity and food safety for consumers and health professionals.

• My Pyramid
  The food pyramid is based on dietary guidelines issued by the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. The site is full of useful information, including tips on eating out, vegetarian diets, how to measure food quantities and how many calories are burned with different kinds of exercise. After registering, you may enter all your physical activities and/or foods eaten during a 24-hour period and receive an analysis of them, which includes the nutrient value of foods eaten. Your activity and diet information will be saved for one year.

• Nutrition Fact Sheets — American Dietetic Association
  Fact sheets on nutrition topics from the American Dietetic Association.

• Nutrition.gov
  Comprehensive site for finding information on nutrition and dietary guidance from several government agencies.

• Supplements

  See also Drugs.

• Facts about Dietary Supplements
  The Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health has issued a series of comprehensive fact sheets on each of several commonly taken vitamin and mineral supplements.

• International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements Database
  The IBIDS database is a collaboration between the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It provides access to bibliography citations and abstracts from scientific literature on dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals and botanical supplements.

• Mayo Clinic
  Information on herbs, vitamins and other supplements is available on the Mayo Clinic Web site.

• MedlinePlus: Medical Dictionary
  Definitions of medical terminology from MedlinePlus and Merriam-Webster.

• MedTerms Medical Dictionary

• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
  This site provides fact sheets and answers about child and adolescent psychiatry, and a glossary and list of symptoms for mental illnesses affecting teenagers. Some of the fact sheets are available in Spanish and other languages.

• American Psychiatric Association
  Extensive information is provided about a wide range of mental health topics, including how to choose a psychiatrist, from the association's HealthyMinds.org Web site.

  Note: Adobe Reader is required to view the PDF files on this site.
  To obtain a free Reader, follow this link:
  

• National Institutes of Mental Health
  Extensive information from NIMH, one of the National Institutes of Health, is provided on specific mental disorders and their diagnosis and treatment. Several documents are also available in Spanish.

• National Mental Health Association
  Provides materials that address all aspects of mental health and mental disorders. Includes the association's Find a Therapist directory of psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists and counselors in the United States and Canada.

• National Mental Health Information Center
  This site, provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides information about mental health programs and services. Includes a mental health services locator.

• Health News Review
  This site reviews and rates health news reported in major newspapers and magazines. Provided by a University of Minnesota journalism professor and the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making.

• MedlinePlus News
  Read health-related news articles from Reuters Health Information (articles display for 30 days) and HealthDay (articles display for 90 days), plus other health news from major medical organizations. Locate news stories by date or by topic.

• MedPage Today
  Developed by The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, this site is a clearinghouse of new medical news information. Users can also search the latest news updates by specialty.

• News in Health
  This monthly electronic newsletter presents information about ongoing research at the National Institutes of Health. Visitors can sign up for a free e-mail subscription.

• Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home
  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have prepared this booklet about selecting nursing homes. The booklet addresses gathering information, visiting nursing homes, paying for care, other options for care, follow-up visits and a nursing home checklist.

  Note: Adobe Reader is required to view this PDF file.
  To obtain a free Reader, follow this link:
  

• National Long Term Care Ombudsmen Resource Center
  Names, addresses, telephone numbers and some e-mail addresses for states' long-term care ombudsman programs. Long-term care ombudsmen investigate and resolve complaints made by or on behalf of residents of nursing homes, care homes and similar adult facilities.

• Nursing Home Compare
  This database provides information, including inspection results, of every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the United States. Information is also available in Spanish. The database is maintained by the Health Care Financing Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

• DIRLINE: Directory of Health Organizations
  Extensive database of health organizations and research resources from the National Library of Medicine. Included are National Institutes of Health resources, other governmental organizations, professional associations, etc. The database provides information about each organization with contact information such as telephone number, fax number, e-mail address and Web address.

• Self-Help Group Sourcebook Online
  A guide to help locate real-life support groups. Online resources may also be available.

• Evaluating Internet Health Information: A Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine
  MedlinePlus provides a tutorial that teaches how to evaluate health information on the Web.

• How to Evaluate Health Information on the Internet: Questions and Answers
  This useful site from the National Cancer Institute will be of interest to persons seeking all kinds of health information. A fact sheet presents criteria to help you decide if an Internet site is likely to be reliable.

• MedHunt — Medical Document Finder
  The Health on the Net Foundation, a nonprofit, international organization, provides this world-wide medical search engine. You may limit your search by country.

• Lab Tests Online
  Extensive information on laboratory tests is provided by the professionals who do the testing. Test information may be found either by test name or by medical condition.

• Plastic Surgery Information Service
  The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons provides extensive information on a wide variety of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery procedures.

• Test Reference
  The National Library of Medicine provides information about medical tests on its MedlinePlus Web site as a component of a medical encyclopedia. Each test is described in three parts: an overview of the test, risks and results (including normal values) and the significance of test results that lie outside the normal range. Each entry includes an illustration and many links to related topics.

• Travelers' Health
  Information from the Centers for Disease Control on disease outbreaks, health recommendations for travelers by geographic region, food and water precautions, immunizations and more.