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Former U.S. Surgeon General hosts consumer healthcare Web site AUSTIN, Texas (July 16, 1998 8:34 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) -- A Web site to provide consumers with trusted, credible online healthcare information and services was launched Thursday by Empower Health Corporation under the guidance of C. Everett Koop, former Surgeon General and Chairman of Empower. The site, [Dr Koops's Community, at: http://www.drkoop.com], provides Web readers with healthcare information and interactive community features. A statement released by Empower Health says the site "is an embodiment of Dr. Koop's lifelong vision of empowering consumers with information to make better healthcare decisions." Koop, in the statement, said: "I am excited about how the Web has greatly enhanced consumers' abilities to access healthcare information. I firmly believe that empowered consumers make better, more informed decisions with their physicians. Our new Web site gives Americans one premier location on the Net to find trusted, quality healthcare information." The site was developed after conducting a variety of research studies with both individuals and physicians. The site is divided into two main sections: "Health Resources" and "Interactive Community." HEALTH RESOURCES The Health Resources section of drkoop.com is a reference source for consumers, covering the life of an individual from cradle to grave. With areas dedicated to children's, women's, and men's health as well as "aging healthy," the site covers more than 50 health and wellness topics with content from a variety of sources including the University of Pennsylvania Health System, a leading provider of high quality consumer healthcare information. The "Health Resources" area also delivers extensive Web-based drug interaction information. Consumers get comprehensive information on thousands of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. They can look up drug reactions and interactions between multiple drugs right online. "This information is of vital importance to individuals," the statement announcing the web site stated. "The Journal of the American Medical Association recently reported that adverse drug events are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States with over 100,000 deaths occurring in 1997." The site provides the uptodate healthcare news to consumers, including new treatments, the latest research and new developments in the healthcare field. INTERACTIVE COMMUNITY The interactive section provides consumers with an online community to discuss a variety of healthcare issues. Having access to experiential knowledge about a health condition is valuable to people as they deal with individual or family health situations. With forums and chats, consumers can interact with others online to discuss health-related topics and develop online support groups. Frequent guest speakers and medical experts will also be featured. The first featured guests will be Koop and Nancy Snyderman, medical correspondent for ABC, who will speak on consumer empowerment and healthcare. Snyderman serves on Empower Health Corporation's board. Empower Health is the backer of the Koop site. Koop is chairman of the corporation's board. "Americans are concerned about finding credible healthcare information that is both accurate and trustworthy," the Empower Health statement said. "Consumers also are interested in numerous sources and opinions when making important healthcare decisions." The site's "Health Search" includes a directory of more than 1,000 of the best healthcare sites on the Web. The sites have been evaluated based on criteria set up by several independent organizations, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Healthcare Information Technology Institute, and Honcode. "We want Dr. Koop's Health Search to be the leading reference tool for consumers to find trusted, quality health sites on the Web," said Donald Hackett, President and CEO of Empower Health. "As the number of healthcare Web sites has proliferated to over 10,000, consumers need a way to sift through the maze of information to find what they need." Copyright 1998 Nando.net Copyright 1998 Nando Media new voice - http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/janet/index.htm janet paterson - 51/10 - endocarb/selegiline/fluoxetine almonte/ontario/canada - [log in to unmask]