How to Get the Health Care You Want

When faced with our own or a family member’s health problems, our first priority is locating a skilled doctor and all the information about the illness that is available. The Austin Public Library offers many resources that can assist you.

Our health research databases provide up-to-date health care information from sources you can trust. You can access articles from medical journals, encyclopedias and other reference books as well as images, diagrams, drug and herb information, fact sheets, and pamphlets. Use your library card to access the databases from home!

On Tuesday, July 24th at 6:00 p.m., the Central Library will host a discussion with Laura Casey, the author of How to Get the Health Care You Want: The Savvy Consumer's Guide to Navigating The Health Care System. The book stresses that that we as consumers have a right to demand excellent customer service from our health care professionals, just as we would from any other business or service provider. Ms. Casey will discuss the importance of creating and maintaining one’s own medical records and answer questions about the health care system.

In addition to this title, we have plenty of related books to choose from:

• Sick: The Untold Story of America's Health Care Crisis, and the People Who Pay the Price
  
• Your Money and Your Health: How to Find Affordable, High-Quality Healthcare
  
• Physical: An American Checkup
  
• The Health Care Mess: How We Got Into it and What it Will Take to Get Out
  
• Hope or Hype: The Obsession with Medical Advances and the High Cost of False Promises