Probably the industry that government has the most voluminous amountsof data on is health care. Organizing the seemingly infinite bits of informationon government and private research into diseases and other health informationmay seem an impossible task, but the Department of Health and Human Serviceshas tried to do just that with its Healthfinder page. The site covers more than 1,000 health-related topics and provides linksto selected information from government agencies, major nonprofit and privatehealth departments, and universities. Last year, HHS added a page about alternative medicine to provide informationabout a variety of therapies in the increasingly popular field. On the Healthfinderhome page, a blue search bar provides quick, easy searches on various topics.
Users can enter a specific word or browse a list of topics arranged alphabetically.
The site is an example of how an agency has created an interactive virtualoffice. Officials plan to allow users to create their own personalized homepages through Healthfinder, which can be automated to receive updated healthinformation tailored to the user's interests. Another planned feature wouldallow a user to program their age and gender into the site and receive specificguidance on preventative health measures. People can find what they're looking for.