Healthy Communities

Healthy Communities, a partnership with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, increases the library’s capacity to offer free, accessible cooking, physical activity, gardening and mindfulness programming at neighborhood libraries throughout Philadelphia. Program offerings range from African-diaspora inspired cooking classes to senior fitness classes to gardening workshops about native plants. Programs priorities are based on feedback from community members.

In October 2018, Community Chef Training was offered at Lillian Marrero Library in the Fairhill section of North Philadelphia. This free, four-day workshop equipped a cohort of community members with the skills and certifications to lead low-cost, culturally-appropriate culinary demos. The Community Chefs continue to lead cooking demonstrations at neighborhood libraries.

Home Gym Kits will be available for lending at six neighborhood libraries! Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library, Lillian Marrero Library, Overbrook Park Library, Richmond Library, South Philadelphia Library, and Tacony Library will host strength training workshops to complement their Home Gym Kit materials. The kit will give community members access to a yoga mat, resistance band, and jump rope for two weeks. Look for the workout log to help track fitness goals and successes!

Read more about the Home Gym Kit and find details about everything Healthy Communities offers here. For free cooking, gardening, and fitness join the Free Library wellness community!

Guides

Healthy Communities Videos

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.
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.
Choose My Plate
Helps you make healthful choices for meals and snacks. Tips, recipes, and more!
Coalition Against Hunger
The Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger strives to build a community where all people have the food they need to lead healthy lives. The Coalition connects people with food assistance programs and nutrition education; provides resources to a network of food pantries; and educates the public and policymakers about responsible solutions that prevent people from going hungry.
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.
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.
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
Food Fit Philly is part of Get Healthy Philly, the Division of Chronic Disease Prevention for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Our work at Get Healthy Philly is founded in the belief that every human being matters, and that we must work to change systems and structures in our city and in our society that result in disparities in health and opportunity.
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.
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
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
NaturePHL
NaturePHL is a cross-sector program helping Philadelphia children and families achieve better health through activity in local parks, trails, and green spaces.
PA Forward: Healthy Literacy
See what efforts the Pennsylvania Library Association is putting forth to promote health literacy.
Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council
The Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council connects Philadelphians and their local government to create a more just food system. They envision that all Philadelphians can access and afford healthy, sustainable, culturally appropriate, local, and fair food.
Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Finder
Search for healthy and fun activities at Parks and Recreation Centers near you!
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 a part of Get Healthy Philly, the Division of Chronic Disease Prevention for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, and is designed to promote everyday physical activity particularly among adult men and women who are seeking to live healthier lives.
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
Regional Health Literacy Coalition
A website created by Pennsylvania's Health Literacy Coalition to improve understanding between providers and consumers of health care
SEPA-READS
An initiative by the Health Care Improvement Foundation (HCIF) and Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals (TJUH) to address health literacy in Southeastern Pennsylvania
Smoke Free Philly
Smokefree Philly is part of Get Healthy Philly, the Chronic Disease Division of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. The goals of SmokeFree Philly are to help people to quit smoking, stop people from starting using tobacco, and reduce heart disease, cancer and other illnesses caused by smoking.

Electronic Resources

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.

Related Tags
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
Take 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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