Health

What are your health questions? The Free Library can connect you with resources to help you live a healthier lifestyle, including research tools, cooking classes, resources to help you quit smoking or increase your exercise, and information about any health condition for people of any age. Learn more about how to take charge of your health by visiting the South Philadelphia Library and the links below.

Guides

Finding Reliable Health Information

Links

2-1-1 SEPA
Call 2-1-1 to get connected to important health and human services. You can also use their website to search.
Asthma
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways, causing wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. It can affect both children and adults.
AuntBertha.com
Search for free or reduced cost services like medical care, food, job training, and more.
Cancer
There are many different types of cancers. Ask your doctor about your risk factors for cancer and how you can lower your risk.
CDC on Health Literacy
Information and tools to improve health literacy and public health. Find health literacy activities by state, develop materials, learn about health literacy.
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health provides a variety of assistance for the prevention, detection, and treatment of childhood lead poisoning.
City of Philadelphia Action Guide - Protecting access to abortion services
To help you understand your rights and protections, the City of Philadelphia is creating action guides on federal policies. The action guides include facts, ways you can help, and other resources.
Coalition Against Hunger
The Coalition Against Hunger helps people connect to food pantries and soup kitchens in their neighborhood, including options for finding food that very day. They also help people to apply for SNAP (food stamp) benefits. Households can apply for SNAP benefits by calling their hotline at 215-430-0556.
Community Health Explorer
Curious about health statistics in Philadelphia? Visit the Community Health Explorer to learn more about health in your zip code.
Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbilities
This list of resources from the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbilities includes help for alcohol, drugs, gambling, homeless supports, domestic violence, intellectual disAbility supports, crisis centers, and 24/7 hotlines.
Diabetes
Are you at risk for prediabetes or diabetes? Check in with the CDC to find out about prevention and diabetes management, as well as diabetes programs you can enroll in near you.
Fact Sheet: Health Literacy and Health Outcomes
This fact sheet summarizes key research findings on the relationship between health literacy and health outcomes.
Federally Qualified Health Centers
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are local, non-profit or city-run primary care providers serving low-income families. Find one using this search tool.
Food Fit Philly
Eating healthy and being physically active can reduce your risk of chronic diseases.
Free Health Screenings
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health maintains a monthly list of free health screenings across the city. Scroll down to the “Free Health Screenings in Philadelphia” section for the link to this month’s list.
Free Library Culinary Literacy Center
Our Culinary Literacy Center offers a wide range of programs for eaters of all interests and tastes. Kitchen classes range from Meatless Mondays to Fish Without Fear and butchering demonstrations to salad how-tos. Free and low-cost public programs teach consumer skills that help parents make recipes fit their families’ needs and emphasize nutrition and health literacy to help with disease prevention.
Health and Wellness Resource Center
The Free Library's database where you can explore different health topics
Health Finder
Use this federally sponsored website tool to learn what you or a loved one can do to stay healthy.
Health Literacy Basics
Definitions and answers to basic questions about health literacy provided by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Health Literacy Month's Website
This website will provide more information on how you can help support Health Literacy Month's efforts
HealthCare.gov
Official guide to the health care, health insurance and the Affordable Care Act
Healthy Minds Philly
HealthyMindsPhilly.org is an online tool and resource to support and improve the mental health and well-being of all Philadelphians. The Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) has combined its behavioral health care and intellectual disability services into one complete system as part of its public health strategy and approach.
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
One in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure. It is important to check your blood pressure regularly.
Local Health Literacy Events
A list of local health literacy events across Pennsylvania that you can attend
Medline Plus
A web resource that contains reliable health information from the National Library of Medicine to help answer health questions
Medline Plus Health Topics
If you are looking for information on a specific health condition, the Medline Plus list of Health Topics is a great place to start. Here are some specific health conditions that are prevalent in Philadelphia, as well as information on some of the behaviors, like smoking, exercise, and nutrition, that can contribute to health issues.
Obesity
Learn about adult and childhood obesity, including the causes, the health consequences, and strategies to prevent obesity.
PA Forward: Healthy Literacy
See what efforts the Pennsylvania Library Association is putting forth to promote health literacy.
Philadelphia Corporation for Aging: Health & Wellness
Good health is a key component of aging well and there are many free community-based programs to help seniors improve their health. Using PCA’s event search tool, you can find events near you on health topics including nutrition, medication management, and injury prevention.
Philadelphia Department of Public Health
The main website for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health is a great place to start researching your health questions. It connects you to information on the many health issues Philadelphians face, as well as resources for non-English speakers.
Philadelphia Department of Public Health: Immunization Program
Find immunization recommendations here to make sure you and your children are up to date on all vaccines.
Philadelphia Health Centers
Do you need to see a doctor? Visit this site for locations of medical services across the city.
Philadelphia Refugee Health Collaborative
The Philadelphia Refugee Health Collaborative website connects to three resettlement agencies and eight refugee health clinics.
Philly Food Finder
Use this tool to find food pantries, meals for seniors, soup kitchens, SHARE host sites, and farmer’s markets by typing in your address or zip code.
Philly Powered
Philly Powered is part of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Get Healthy Philly initiative to promote everyday physical activity, particularly among adult men and women who are seeking to live healthier lives.
Point-to-Talk Booklets in 19 Languages
These booklets, developed by the American Hospital Association, are designed to help non-English speakers talk with their doctors during appointments. They can be downloaded and printed.
Poison Control Center
The Poison Control Center’s mission is to reduce the number of accidents, the severity of injuries, the number of deaths, and the healthcare costs associated with poison exposures. They can be reached at any time at 1-800-222-1222.
PubMed Health
A service provided by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) that provides information for consumers and clinicians on prevention and treatment of diseases and conditions
Ready Philadelphia
Part of being healthy is being prepared for emergencies. Sign up for Ready Philadelphia to get alerts about disasters, local emergencies, weather alerts, mass transit, and other important information.
Regional Health Literacy Coalition
A website created by Pennsylvania's Health Literacy Coalition to improve understanding between providers and consumers of health care

Exercise DVDs by Health

Try a new workout or an old favorite with these DVDs.

Leslie Sansone just walk 5 boosted miles! / cover

Leslie Sansone just walk Walking off the pounds / cover

Platinum fitness for seniors low impact for all fitness levels cover

Beginners weight loss transformation cover

Jane Fonda prime time. AM/PM yoga for beginners cover

Older, wiser & wonderful. Levels 1 & 2 cover

View the full list

Health for Kids by Health

Check out some health-related books for kids and teens at the Free Library.

Back off, sneezy! : a kids' guide to staying well cover

Health issues when you're transgender cover

How to choose foods your body will use cover

View the full list

The whole30 the 30-day guide to total health and food freedom cover

Health (29 items)

Here are some of the health books on the shelves of the Free Library.

What do I eat now? : a step-by-step guide to eating right with Type 2 diabetes cover

Diabetes (13 items)

Learn more about diabetes and how to manage it.

Electronic Health Literacy Resources (7 items)

Check out these electronic sources to learn more about health literacy and how it can affect you!

50 plus one questions to ask your doctor cover

Health Literacy 2016 (7 items)

Check out these resources to learn more about health literacy and how to best communicate health information!

Electronic Resources

Academic OneFile
Find peer-reviewed, full-text articles from journals in the areas of the physical and social sciences, technology, medicine, engineering, the arts, literature, and more. More than 20,000 peer-reviewed journals and more than 10,900 in full text.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.

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Gale Health and Wellness (formerly Health and Wellness Resource Center)
Find accurate, up-to-date information on a full range of health topics, from current diseases and disorders to in-depth coverage of alternative medicine practices. Access full-text medical journals, magazines, reference works, multimedia, and more.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.

Related Tags
- Health and Fitness
- Medical
- Adults
- Teens
- Seniors
Gale in Context | Elementary (formerly Kids InfoBits) *
Students in K-5th grade will find kid-friendly content covering topics such as animals, arts, geography, health, literature, people, social studies, technology, and more! Includes more than 16,600 images and over 600 high-quality educational videos.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.

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Gale In Context: High School
Primary documents, biographies, topical essays, background information, critical analyses, full-text coverage of 800 magazines, photographs and illustrations, audio and video clips
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.

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HealthCare.Gov
Official guide to the health care, health insurance and the Affordable Care Act
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.

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KidsHealth
KidsHealth is the most-visited site on the Web for information about health, behavior, and development from before birth through the teen years.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.

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NewsBank Hot Topics
Trending news and topics for your next assignment! Covers current events, business & economics, civics, government, & politics, social issues, science, technology & health, sports, arts & literature, and people in the news. *Chrome browser not supported.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.

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Universal Class
Over 1,500 online continuing education courses in a wide variety of subjects at your own pace from real instructors.
Available To: All Free Library locations and online with your library card.

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Upcoming Events

Knit/Crochet-a-thon for the Needy

Adult Young Adult Senior

Join us in the Art & Lit department on Saturday, as we knit and crochet all day for a good cause! Drop in… more details

Sat, December 21, 2024 9:00 AM
Parkway Central Library
1901 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

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Yoga

Adult

Transition into your evening with an all-levels yoga flow hosted by Mishana Yoga & Wellness. Beginners and all… more details

Mon, December 23, 2024 5:30 PM
Richmond Library
2987 Almond Street
Philadelphia, PA 19134-4955

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Chair Yoga with Lindsey

Adult Young Adult Senior

Chair Yoga is a form of yoga that uses a chair as the main prop versus a traditional mat. This makes the practice… more details

Mon, December 23, 2024 5:45 PM
Charles Santore Library
932 South 7th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147-2932

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Chair Exercise with Megan Do Nascimento

Adult Senior

Chair exercise allows you to work out while seated or using a chair for balance, offering benefits like… more details

Fri, December 27, 2024 11:00 AM
Falls of Schuylkill Library
3501 Midvale Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19129-1633

Related Tags
- Health and Fitness
- Yoga