Where Can We Direct the Public for Reliable Health Information?

Public trust in our government health agencies is at an all-time low. Recent polling by the Kaiser Family Foundation, for example, shows that only about 1 in 3 U.S. adults trust public health agencies like the CDC and FDA to act without political influence. Regardless of where you lie on the political spectrum, we can all agree that public health is facing a crisis of confidence. 

This begs an important question: where do public health professionals refer those who need a trustworthy source of information about their health issues? In the past, providers often relied on the CDC to provide plain language patient education resources. Today, referring a patient or a family member to CDC resources may be problematic for two reasons: 1) they may disregard it if they find the CDC untrustworthy, and 2) there is increasing evidence that the HHS is being censored by the federal government, particularly when it comes to hot button health issues like LGBTQ+ health or vaccination schedules. As science and health communicators, we need to be prepared with alternative resources. 

And it isn’t just web pages and research funding that are under threat. Recently, leaked documents revealed that the 988 suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ youth may be defunded later this year. So where can we direct our most vulnerable youth when they have no one else to turn to?

In response to this crisis of confidence and reduction in material support for public health, we’ve assembled some alternative resources, organized into categories. 

For the LGBTQ+ community:

1) The Advocate has an excellent list of alternative mental health hotlines for LGBTQ+ youth from non-governmental organizations such as the Trevor Project, Trans Lifeline, and the Rainbow Youth Project.

2) The LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory offers a searchable database of self-identified LGBTQ+ friendly health care providers in the U.S. You can also search for providers that use specific approaches, such as trauma-informed care or harm reduction. 

3) The Human Rights Campaign has a web page with links to health-related resources for LGBTQ+ people, including information about health care rights, how to report discrimination in health care settings, and options for insurance coverage.  

For the general public:

1) State health departments can be a good alternative source of health information. For example, the New York State Department of Health has Health Topics A-Z, which provides information about a wide range of health conditions as well as local and national resources for patients and caregivers. Their website also provides up-to-date information on disease

 outbreaks, environmental health, how to live a healthy lifestyle, vaccinations, and more. New York State has one of the most robust public health systems in the U.S., and its online resources are fairly comprehensive. 

2) Other countries also have a wealth of resources that anyone can access from the U.S. Like New York, the National Health Service of the UK has an A-Z list of health topics. Their website also features a glossary of common symptoms of illness. Importantly, this glossary makes recommendations about when it is appropriate or necessary to seek medical assistance. The Public Health Agency of Canada has similar resources, though its website is a little bit less user-friendly. It is important to note, however, that when seeking advice on vaccinations, other countries have slightly modified vaccine schedules and may offer different versions of common vaccines. 

3) Private institutions still offer access to high-quality information about health and wellness topics. Like the NHS, the Mayo Clinic offers a free online encyclopedia of health conditions as well as a symptom checker. They are also an especially good resource for rare diseases. The Cleveland Clinic is another highly reputable institution with a wealth of free online educational materials. Their Health Library offers information not just on health conditions but on general topics like the immune system, as well as information about treatments and diagnostics. Though less easy to navigate, Johns Hopkins Health is another great resource for medical information as well as news about current health topics.

Depending on the audience, these resources may be more palatable to those who distrust government information, whatever the reason for that distrust may be. Additionally, most Americans still say they trust their own health care providers. This underscores the importance of building and maintaining trusted relationships in clinical settings. In particular, primary care appointments may serve as a bulwark against the declining credibility of public health institutions, and they offer priceless opportunities to build bridges between health professionals and the communities they serve.