FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, June 18, 1999
Contact: Valerie Scardino, Office on Women's Health
(202) 205-0270

The National Women's Health Information Center Website
Adds a Section on Men's Health

The U.S. Public Health and Human Service's Office on Women's Health (OWH) within the Department of Health and Human Service announced the addition of a men's health section on its National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC) web site. NWHIC serves as a single gateway to thousands of federal and private sector publications and organizations on women's health through its web site (www.4woman.gv) and toll-free information number. Since its launch in November 1998, more than a million visitors have used the web site or phone service.

The new feature will offer summaries about critical men's health issues, including prostate health, reproductive health, alcohol and drug abuse, fitness and nutrition, mental health, cancer, heart disease and special resources for violence prevention. There will also be health information specific to certain groups of men, including minority, older and college-aged men. NWHIC's new men's health section will also provide links to a variety of sites on men's health, including the new Men's Health Resource Section on the Department's healthfinder® site.

"Studies show that women are the primary decision-makers about health in the family," said Wanda Jones, Dr. P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Women's Health), "so it makes sense that we present men's health information in a format easily understood by the women who are using NWHIC."

The new section is being launched during Men's Health Week, and just in time for Father's Day. "We designed the men's health section with women in mind," Dr. Jones added, "but we think men will find it useful as well."

The NWHIC web site (www.womenshealth.gov) links to all federal agencies and publications on women's health, and to hundreds of government-screened private sector organizations. NWHIC also provides FAQs (frequently asked questions) on top health issues of concern to American women. The toll-free number (1-800-994-WOMAN) connects the caller to a health information specialist who will refer the caller to the right source of information. Women and their health care providers can also order fact sheets, brochures and other printed materials by phone. With the addition of the new men's health section, women will be able to more easily access health materials of relevance to the men in their lives.

NWHIC hyperlinks to more than 1,000 web sites, including more than 300 federal sites, and to more than 2,700 federal documents on women's health, 1,800 of which are already online. It organizes resources in a subject index to facilitate searches, links to databases and web search engines by topic and agency, and offers graphical and text versions to accommodate all users. Information specialists are available on its toll-free telephone service from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time Zone).

NWHIC is the only combined comprehensive health web site and hotline service offered by the federal health agencies. It is designed to provide information on how women are uniquely affected by health concerns that threaten the general population, as well as on health issues that are exclusive to women.

The Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services provides national leadership in advancing women's health. It acts as a catalyst for new national and regional initiatives to improve women's health, including support for 18 Centers of Excellence in Women's Health that serve as models for integrated and comprehensive women's health care services and research.