Welcome to Hands on Health-South Carolina!
Health and wellness are important to all of us. Life is better and easier when you are healthy. We all want to be healthy. But sometimes it is hard know how to make good health choices or where you can get help when you need it. Hands on Health-SC is here to help you learn about your health.

The purpose of Hands on Health-SC is to give the people of South Carolina a place to go to learn about health and wellness. South Carolina has some important health problems. These include diabetes, heart disease, cancer, asthma, stroke, and suicide. If you or someone you care for is facing one of these problems, Hands on Health-SC can help you find out about it.

How do you know if you have a disease?

What are the risks for getting a disease?

How can it be treated?

Where can you find help?

These are the kinds of questions Hands on Health-SC will help you answer.

Hands on Health-SC should not be used instead of talking to a doctor or other health professional about your medical concerns. But it is a good place to look for more information or to find out what kinds of questions you might want to ask your doctor about your health.

Web Site Links
Hands on Health-SC is mainly a collection of links to health Web sites. Each site listed has been carefully examined by Hands on Health editorial staff and medical librarians using a set of guidelines. For Hands on Health-SC we select sites that have good, useful content based on sound medicine or science. We look for sites with content that is reviewed by experts and updated regularly. We want sites that are easy to use and easy to understand.

Hands on Health-SC makes every effort to ensure that the information provided is correct and current. But we cannot control the content or policies of other Web sites. When you link to another Web site from Hands on Health-SC, you should carefully review that site’s use and privacy policies.

Privacy
Hands on Health-SC respects your personal privacy. We will never release your name, street address, telephone number, or e-mail address without your consent.

Project Description
Hands on Health-SC is a project of the Library at the Medical University of South Carolina. It has been supported by funding from The Duke Endowment and the Sustainable Universities Initiative of South Carolina. The overall project goal is to promote healthier citizens and healthier communities in our state. The primary vehicle is this Web site populated with information resources and links to other high quality, easy-to-use, and appropriate health and wellness Web sites. Special attention is paid to health issues of particular import to South Carolina citizens and communities.

The partnership of the MUSC Library and the Library of the USC School of Medicine brings expertise in health information management and access. The South Carolina State Library is another major partner. Their DISCUS statewide network touches public libraries, K-12 schools, and higher education institutions. This is an important key to making the resources of Hands on Health-SC accessible. The South Carolina Hospital Association, the fourth major partner, identifies the information needs of the patient population in the state.

South Carolina Focus Makes Hands on Health-SC Different
Hands on Health-SC pays special attention to health issues of particular import to South Carolina citizens and communities. Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, disabilities, mother & child care, nutrition, and specific cancers will be featured. It targets South Carolina's underserved and vulnerable citizens, especially minority and rural populations.

Hands on Health-SC serves the layman citizen and the school child, not the health professional. Thousands of Web sites focus on consumer health and wellness. But anyone who has searched for information on the Web understands the difficulties of first locating information and then evaluating the quality of that information. All too often, health information is written using the vocabulary of the scientist or clinician. Information for the layman is often too complex for real understanding.

Hands on Health-SC includes information specifically designed to inform people of all age groups, reading abilities, and education levels. It is organized for the layman's inquiry, not the way the science of medicine is organized. For example, in South Carolina, many people recognize that they have a problem with sugar, but they do not realize they have diabetes. Hands on Health-SC uses the common terminology; but also discusses the "real" medical language, to help people build their medical knowledge and vocabulary.

Hands on Health-SC has a strong environmental health aspect. South Carolina's towns and communities face significant public health and environmental safety issues. We hear about them in the news regularly: polluted water supplies, inadequate waste management, contaminated food sources, and other problems.

How do community officials research, investigate, and find solutions to these problems? Where can they turn for information that suggests causes, explains the mechanisms, and offers possible solutions to environmental hazards or threats to the health and safety of their citizens? What resources exist in the state to provide expertise and consultation? These are the kinds of questions Hands on Health-SC is designed to answer.

How to get Hands on Health-SC brochures for your organization: We have provided our Hands on Health South Carolina rack card, and our Hands on Health South Carolina Spanish rack card for you in PDF format. Just click on the title to download a printable copy.
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Hands on Health-SC Project Team
Hands on Health-SC is a project of the Medical University Library, funded by the Duke Endowment.

Project Manager

Monique Hill

Art Director

Sherman Paggi, B.F.A.

Web Developers

David McCabe
Sherman Paggi, B.F.A.

Last Modified: Thursday September 26, 2019 9:09 AM