For immediate release Contact: Richard Cox or Karin Meyer

Health District of Northern Larimer County

224-5209

Local link to health info in Fort Collins goes online

Healthinfosource.com has provider listings, health classes, health info

The search is over.

Healthinfosource.com (www.healthinfosource.com), the area’s most comprehensive Web site directory of local health resources, debuts this month, providing Fort Collins residents a fast and easy way to find healthcare providers, health classes and health-related information.

More than four years in the planning, the new Web site is a collaborative effort by three local non-profit organizations: the Health District of Northern Larimer County, Poudre Valley Health System/Poudre Valley Hospital Foundation and the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment.

Local residents will be able to use healthinfosource.com to search for a wide assortment of healthcare providers – from doctors and dentists to massage therapists and mental health counselors. More than 1,000 local providers are already listed, with more being added all the time.

“There are excellent health resources in our community, but what sets healthinsource.com apart is the scope of its coverage – including traditional and non-traditional practitioners – and the depth of information supplied for each provider,” said Polly Anderson, project coordinator for healthinfosource.com. Anderson also noted that information will be updated continually to maintain the Web site’s accuracy and reliability.

Providers are listed in five different categories:

· Allied and ancillary health services, including home healthcare agencies, nursing homes, physical therapists, registered dietitians and speech pathologists

· Complementary and alternative medicine, including acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists and naturopaths

(more)

· Dental care, including dentists, hygienists and orthodontists

· Medical and primary care, including primary and specialty medical care provided by a variety of licensed medical professionals

· Mental health and substance abuse services, including counseling, substance abuse treatment and inpatient and outpatient care

There is no cost to providers to be listed on healthinfosource.com. The only criterion for inclusion is that individuals practice or provide health-related services in the greater Fort Collins area. Providers may provide proof of licensure or other applicable certification, but it is not required. Those known to have suspended, revoked or lapsed licenses or certification will not be listed.

Healthinfosource.com is more than just people, however. The Web site has a searchable listing of local health-related classes and events, as well as a section for community health news supplied by local healthcare organizations.

Health information is also available in the form of 15 health topics, including cholesterol, depression, health insurance, heart disease, choosing a mental health therapist and quitting smoking. Each topic page includes an overview of the subject, recommended links for further information and local resources when available. This area of healthinfosource.com is continually growing, with an average of two health topics added every month.

A convenient feature of healthinfosource.com is a list of related links that appears on each page. Listed under the heading, “You may also be interested in” are suggested links for local providers, programs, classes and events, as well as topics available on the Web site.

Although healthinfosource.com will be useful for new and longtime residents of the Fort Collins area, the Web site also will be a major boon to local health and human service providers who routinely refer their patients or clients to other community healthcare resources. For example, agencies that serve clients on Medicaid will benefit from provider listings that indicate whether a physician accepts Medicaid, Medicare or Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) health insurance.

Healthinfosource.com developed out of local survey data suggesting that area residents wanted better information and referral services for community resources, including healthcare. Early discussions about a community healthcare resource started eight years ago, but the project didn’t begin to take shape until 1999 when representatives of the Health District, the Health

Department and Poudre Valley Health System (PVHS) met to plan the current Web site.

Major funding for the public/private partnership is supplied by PVHS/Poudre Valley Hospital Foundation and the Health District, which also contributes staffing. The project also received a grant from the Gannett Foundation. Other sponsorship opportunities for healthinfosource.com are available. Sponsors have no control over the Web’s site’s editorial decisions, which are made by staff and representatives of the three founding organizations.

Local individuals or organizations that want to get listed or become sponsors of healthinfosource.com should call Polly Anderson at 224-5209.

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