Key Sites on Women's Health
Key Sites on Women's Health
- The Office on Women's Health at the Department of Health and Human Services has a wealth of information. We list it first here, as it is often the first place we look at to find resources on women's health at every stage of life.
- Women's Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its motto is "Working to promote and protect the health, safety, and quality of life of women."
- FDA Office of Women's Health. As the site notes, "In their daily lives, women use many products that are regulated by the FDA including medicines, cosmetics, pregnancy kits, microwaves, pet foods, and vaccines."
Vetting Health Sites
Thanks to the web, a wealth of medical information is just a click away. But how accurate is that information and how much can you - and your members - rely on it?
A couple of basic questions to ask when researching a medical or health question online is "Who is sponsoring the website, who paid for any studies reported and is the website promoting a cause?" The answers to these questions will help establish whether the site and info are credible, reliable and scientifically accurate. One top-drawer site is Medline Plus, sponsored by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Here you'll find solid info on hundreds of health topics and can easily access pictures and videos to help explain conditions. And the material is available in 40 languages, a great way to reach more of your membership!
Other Health Sites We Like
- National Health Observances 2011
- Coalition of Labor Union Women - Women's Health Links
- Remind yourself to schedule your screenings
- (Includes reminders for blood donation, cholesterol test, colon cancer screening, diabetes test, mammogram, cervical screening)
- HealthyWomen
- (Includes hundreds of health and wellness topics for women. Also offers free e-newsletters and materials on a wide range of women's health issues.)
- Girls Health (affiliated with The National Women's Health Information Center)
- Ask Me 3
- (Website that promotes health literacy and encourages patients to ask health care providers and pharmacists 3 questions: "What is my main problem?" "What do I need to do?" "Why is it important for me to do this?")