Easy Access to Health Information

Hi, I’m Betsy Miller. My blog is about writing and related topics like research and publishing that I hope you find interesting whether or not you like to write.

A New Resource in Cupertino

I recently visited the PlaneTree Health Information Center located inside the Cupertino Library. When you go upstairs, turn left and walk down the aisle between the bookshelves and the wall. There's a door about halfway to the windows.

PlaneTree is a community health library, which has health and medical books and brochures about many health topics. This branch is in a small room, but the staff has access to health resources at other locations. They can also help you access medical databases, journal articles, and medical textbooks.

You don’t have to be a medical expert to use PlaneTree. If you aren’t sure how to research your topic, the PlaneTree staff and volunteers can help you. They are quite knowledgeable, and can point you to resources that you might not know about otherwise. The Cupertino branch is open the following days and hours:

Tues. 4-8pm
Wed. 10am-2pm
Thurs., Fri., & Sat. 2pm-6pm

I went to PlaneTree to do research for a book. I’m a technical writer, but I also write books for families who are coping with children’s medical issues (The Parents’ Guide to Clubfoot  and The Parents’ Guide to Hip Dysplasia). I discovered community health libraries when I was writing my first book, and a whole new world opened up to me.

Medical Websites and Databases

When I research a medical topic, I often start with the National Institute of Health (NIH) website, which has very good health information for consumers. If I want more depth, I go to Pubmed. Pubmed is the online U.S. Library of Medicine, which is geared toward medical professionals.

Anyone can visit the Pubmed website to search the medical databases and read abstracts of medical journal articles. Many of these journals charge a fee for the complete article unless you’re a subscriber.

Instead of paying a fee for an article or subscribing to a journal, you can go to a community health library like PlaneTree. The staff can typically get full journal articles. If you want a copy of an article, then there is a small fee to cover the photocopying cost.

If you aren’t located near the Cupertino Library, or you want to visit a community health library at a different location, ask your doctor’s office to recommend one.

Poll

This is my first blog post for Local Voices. Did you like this topic? Would you rather read about something else? Participate in my unscientific poll (click here to go to poll) to help me decide which topic to cover next.

• Tell me more about health resources.
• I’d like to hear about ebooks.
• I’m interested in writing and publishing.
• Surprise me.