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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday Sept. 28, 2001
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343

HHS LAUNCHES HEALTHFINDER ESPA�OL TO PROVIDE
SPANISH-SPEAKING CONSUMERS WITH EASY ACCESS TO
RELIABLE HEALTH INFORMATION

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the launch of healthfinder espa�ol, a Spanish-language Web site that helps consumers track down reliable health information quickly and easily on the Internet. Available at www.healthfinder.gov/espanol, the new site creates an easy-to-use Spanish-language consumer resource modeled after the award-winning healthfinder site.

"healthfinder espa�ol provides health information that people can trust. By providing this essential resource in Spanish, we're creating a gateway for Spanish-speaking people to learn about preventing and treating illness and developing a healthy lifestyle," Secretary Thompson said. "This is especially important now that half of all Hispanic adults in the United States are using the Internet."

healthfinder espa�ol brings together in one easy-to-use site Spanish-language health information on over 300 topics from 70 government agencies and nonprofit organizations, including those health issues of greatest concern to those of Hispanic heritage. The site offers both a Spanish text search and a list of topics in Spanish that can be browsed.

A unique feature of healthfinder espa�ol is the ease with which users of the site can switch between Spanish and English versions of the same information. English-speaking family members or health professionals can use this feature to search in English for information to share with Spanish-speaking relatives or patients.

Deputy Secretary Claude Allen unveiled the new site today during Hispanic Heritage Month at the Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care in Washington. HHS' Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, which leads the healthfinder project, worked with staff and clients at Mary's Center and others in the community to develop the new site's content and format.

"Hispanics are affected disproportionately by diabetes, high blood pressure and other serious health problems. healthfinder espa�ol can help address those disparities by making useful information about prevention and wellness readily available to Spanish speakers," Deputy Secretary Allen said.

"There are so few places that Latinos can go to get health information that they need in a private and friendly atmosphere," said Maria Gomez, executive director of Mary's Center. "We're excited to have healthfinder espa�ol available to our patients here at Mary's Center."

Regularly listed as a top site in media articles about Internet health information, healthfinder has won many site awards, including USA TODAY's "Hot Site" award and Lycos' "Top 5% of the Web" award. Additionally, healthfinder has been noted as "probably the quickest way to find Web-based information on a particular health condition," by Forbes and as "a terrific first stop" by Newsweek.

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Last revised: September 28, 2001