The Gerrish-True Health Sciences Library at Central Maine Medical Center offers dozens of links to websites that offer accurate medical and health information. It is a resource available to patients, the public and to medical staff.
Contact Us
Gerrish-True Health Sciences Library
Central Maine Medical Center
300 Main Street, P.O. Box 4500
Lewiston, ME 04240
Library Hours:
Public Access: Monday – Thursday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Hospital clinicians and team members: 24/7 access with badge
Librarian on-site as needed and by appointment
Library Staff:
Sarah Hudson, MLS, MBA call: 207-795-5956 or email: hudsonsa@cmhc.org
For more information call: 207-795-2560 or email: library@cmhc.org
Collections and Services: The Gerrish-True Health Sciences Library supports the health-related information needs of physicians, hospital team members and all affiliated students. Patients, their families and the public are welcome to use the library during staffed hours.
The Gerrish-True Health Sciences Library subscribes to medical and health-related journals. The majority of these are available online through our medical databases (see Professional Health Resources). CMH medical staff and students may contact the CMMC Library team members for online access instructions. Journals are indexed in PubMed with links out to the full text of journals in electronic format. Older issues may be available in storage or on microfilm. Print journals do not circulate but may be photocopied. (Photocopying is available.)
The library has a small print collection of medical reference books arranged by National Library of Medicine classification in many specialty areas. Check the CMMC online catalog for availability. Books in the circulating collection may be borrowed for two weeks and may be renewed. Electronic textbooks are also available through Nursing and Access Medicine on the Professional Health page.
Health Library Disclaimer: Please note: Information provided by the Gerrish-True Health Sciences Library or links on its web page, is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice or care from a physician of other healthcare provider. Please call your healthcare provider if you have questions regarding your specific medical condition.
Patient and Public Health Resources
Medlineplus – MedlinePlus is the National Institutes of Health’s Web site for patients and their families and friends. Produced by the National Library of Medicine, it brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free.
CDC – CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same.
ConsumerMedSafety – Developed by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), ConsumerMedSafety.org is designed exclusively to bring the message of medication error prevention directly to the consumers. Features of the site include:
- A Scrolling Marquee Top 10 List providing the latest drug safety warnings and advice from experts.
- The Medication Safety Toolbox offering various tools designed to help read a prescription, understand medicine labels, keep track of medications, measure liquid doses, or learn which medicines can’t be crushed.
- Medication Safety Alerts – special safety section along with critical information about drug recalls, drug shortages, and medication guides.
- Consumer Medication Errors Reporting Program, a section where consumers are invited to tell their stories about medication hazards or errors through a user-friendly, online reporting format.
Druginfonet.com – Official package inserts and pharmaceutical product and disease information for healthcare professionals and consumers.
Family Doctor.org – The Family Doctor website is operated by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), a national medical organization representing more than 115,900 family physicians, family practice residents and medical students. All of the information on this site has been written and reviewed by physicians and patient education professionals at the AAFP.
US Food and Drug Administration
Healthfinder.gov – A gateway to reliable consumer health and human services information, sponsored by the DHHS.
Household Products Database – Information on the health effects of common household products under your sink, in the garage, in the bathroom and on the laundry room shelf.
KidsHealth.org – Doctor-approved health information about children, created by the Nemours Foundation.
Lab Test Online – Lab Tests Online has been designed to help you, as a patient or family caregiver, to better understand the many clinical lab tests that are part of routine care as well as diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of conditions and diseases. If you are a medical professional, this site can serve as a quick reference tool or as a resource for keeping up with advances in laboratory science.
Marvel – Free Maine databases including Academic Search Premiere, Business Source Premiere, Health Source: Consumer Edition, Proquest Newspaper Indexes
Mayo Clinic – Consumer website offering health and medical information and disease management, produced by the Mayo Foundation.
Nutrition.gov – A U.S. federal guide offering access to all government web sites with reliable and accurate information on nutrition and dietary guidance.
President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition – The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition mission is to engage, educate, and empower all Americans across the lifespan to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition.
RxList – RxList is an online medical resource dedicated to offering detailed and current pharmaceutical information on brand and generic drugs. Founded by pharmacists in 1995, and acquired by WebMD in 2004, RxList is continuously reviewed and updated with articles written by pharmacists and physicians and data provided by credible and reliable sources like the FDA, Cerner Multum, and First Data Bank, Inc. to ensure the most accurate and beneficial information is provided.
NIH Senior Health – Health and wellness information for older adults from the National Institutes of Health.
NIH Tox Town – An interactive guide about how the environment, chemicals and toxic substances affect human health.
USDA ChooseMyPlate.gov – The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion lists the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the USDA Food Guidance System, the Healthy Eating Index, and many other nutrition resources on Choose My Plate including U.S. Meal Plans.
Womenshealth.gov – The FDA’s leading resource for women’s health information.
State and Local:
State of Maine – Home page for links to Govenor’s office, State Agencies, Quasi-independent Agencies, Legislature (statutes, bills, House, Senate etc.).
Maine State Library – Home page for the Maine State Library and additional reference databases.
News:
USA Today
Lewiston Sun Journal
Portland Press Herald
Professional Health
The following databases are available for medical staff and students. Please contact the library to obtain access information.
Medical Databases
- AccessMedicine
- Cochrane Database
- DynaMedPlus
- Health Business Elite
- Lexi-Comp Online
- Medline with Full Text
- OVID
- Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection
- PubMed (includes links to CMMC Library full text)
- UpToDate
Nursing and Allied Health Databases