Family Network on Disabilities

INformation Hub

Resources within the Medical and Healthcare Community

Resources within the Medical and Healthcare Community

* Highly Rated Resource!  This resource was reviewed by 3-member panels of Parent Center staff working independently from one another to rate the quality, relevance, and usefulness of CPIR resources. This resource was found to be of “High Quality, High Relevance, High Usefulness” to Parent Centers.

Links updated, March 2017

Sobre la salud en español | Health resources in Spanish

The doctor says it’s… but what is….? Are you looking for information on a health condition or perhaps trying to find health services? There are lots of medical sites out there that explain conditions in terms you don’t need to be a doctor to understand. And there are sites that can help you locate healthcare services in your community. Here are resources to explore.

Finding Information on Health Conditions

Connect with a spectrum of health-related resources. www.healthfinder.gov/ Healthfinder connects you with a range of health-related resources. The same service is available in Spanish, at: www.healthfinder.gov/espanol/
 
Medline connects you quickly to over 650 topics on conditions, diseases and wellness. http://medlineplus.gov This site is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and offers everything from an online medical encyclopedia to interactive tutorials for patients. Find the same in Spanish, at: http://medlineplus.gov/spanish
 
More information about health topics of all kinds. https://familydoctor.org/ The American Academy of Family Physicians provides this site of “health information for the whole family.” Among the databases you’ll find are: Search by Symptom, Find a Doctor, Dictionary of Common Medical Terms, Body Mass Index Calculator, and Drug Information Database (both prescription and over-the-counter). For Spanish, go to: https://es.familydoctor.org/
 
A real info jackpot, courtesy of the government. www.health.gov/NHIC/ The Federal Government operates many health clearinghouses and information centers that focus on specific topics. To see what’s out there, visit: https://health.gov/nhic/pubs/clearinghouses/
 
rsz_medical-vertical
Toll-free numbers of health information. Courtesy of health.gov. https://health.gov/nhic/pubs/tollfreenumbers/
 
Alternative medicine? https://nccih.nih.gov/ Visit the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, at the link above. Looking for information in Spanish? Go to: https://nccih.nih.gov/health/espanol?lang=es

Finding Health Services

Find a doctor. https://apps.ama-assn.org/doctorfinder/home.jsp Many health insurance plans require their members to use doctors participating in the plan. If you have health insurance, you’ll want to make sure what your plan requires of you as a member. But for those who have some latitude…Doctor Finder is provided online by the American Medical Association. This database provides basic professional information on virtually every licensed physician in the United States, including more than 814,000 doctors.

Health care for uninsured children. Did you know that each state has a health insurance program for children? Children who don’t have health insurance right now are very often eligible for state medical coverage. The insurance is available to children in working families, including families that include individuals with a variety of immigration status. To find out what your state’s policies are, what’s covered, and how to apply, call 1.877.543.7669 or visit the website in English or in Spanish:
 
Insure Kids Now | English http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/index.html

Insure Kids Now | Spanish http://espanol.insurekidsnow.gov/index.html

Find a community health center. http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/ Over 44 million people in the United States lack access to primary health care. HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) provides a nationwide network of community and migrant health centers and health care for the homeless programs. To identify a service site delivering primary care to underserved populations, visit the link above.
 
State-level school health policies. Courtesy of NASBE (National Association of School Boards of Education. http://nasbe.org/healthy_schools/hs/index.php
 

Medicaid benefits for mental health services. If you’re eligible for Medicaid, you may be able to access mental health services through Medicaid. States vary, however, in what types of mental health services they provide under Medicaid. Use the database at the link below to find what Medicaid benefits are available in your state. http://tinyurl.com/yhuos2j

 
Rehabilitation. http://www.naric.com/?q=en/home NARIC, the National Rehabilitation Information Center, offers an online searchable database of more than 300 projects funded by NIDRR (National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research), including their products. If you want to know about disability, rehabilitation, and promoting independence and employment for individuals with disabilities, NARIC is the place to visit.
 
Databases re: Native American health. https://hscssl.unm.edu/nhd/ The Native Health Databases contain bibliographic information and abstracts of health-related articles, reports, surveys, and other resource documents pertaining to the health and health care of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Canadian First Nations.
 
Problems? Complaints? Too many decisions to make? http://www.healthfinder.gov/ Healthfinder.gov has brought together information on the Web to help you make important choices for yourself and your family. The link above offers links to resources on: complaints, dentists, doctors, finding a healthcare provider, first aid, fraud, health insurance, hospice, hospitals, long-term care, medical errors, Medicare and Medicaid, nursing homes, patient privacy, prescription drugs, public health clinics, quality of care, and support groups.
 
What clinical trials are being conducted? www.clinicaltrials.gov/ Find out about federally and privately supported clinical research in human volunteers via clinicalTrials.gov, which gives you information about a trial’s purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more details.
 
  • Find a healthcare hospitality house. http://www.hhnetwork.org/ The database online at the Healthcare Hospitality Network can help patients and their families find lodging and other supportive services when confronted with medical emergencies.

________________________________________________________

Would you like to explore one of the other resource pages in this section?

If so, use these quick-jump links to hop to the page of your choice.

SOURCE ARTICLE:  Center for Parent Information and Resources