A collection of useful information resources for weather, health, Covid & Respiratory Virus activity and levels, and other topics. Updated regularly.
Climate & Weather
- www.airnow.gov – local air quality
- fire.airnow.gov – fire and smoke map for Canada and the U.S.
- climatevulnerabilityindex.org – map of U.S. hotspots for climate change impact
- NWS HeatRisk (noaa.gov) – color coded map showing the level of heat risk in the seven day forecast
Health & Safety
Healthy Living resources. Not a comprehensive list by any means: this is resources I’ve collected that are more specific relevant to our personal circumstances.
- heart.org – The American Heart Association. Heart-Healthy Lifestyle resources. Filed under: “Better now than never.”
Respiratory Virus, & Covid Tracking
Local
- www.hubbubworld.com – local health risk prevalence for flu, RSV, and Covid
- www.walgreens.com/healthcare-solutions/covid-19-index – Walgreens COVID-19 Index / Positivity Tracker
- www.wastewaterscan.org – infectious disease tracking via wastewater prevalence. Local: Akron, Ohio Dashboard.
- clevelandcliniclabs.com/respiratory-virus-surveillance-statistics/ Cleveland Clinic Respiratory Virus Surveillance Statistics
- https://data.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/data/view/covid-19-reporting – Ohio Dept of Health – Covid Reporting
- pmc19.com/data – Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative – COVID-19 Forecasting. Data charts and projections.
CDC & Government
- covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#maps_positivity-week – CDC – Maps – Current Covid Test Positivity by Geographic Area
- pmc19.com/data/ – Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative – Data Tracker – Wastewater & Forecasts (source of CDC data)
- www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data-research/dashboard/activity-levels.html CDC Respiratory Viruses Activity Tracker
- www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-nationaltrend.html – CDC Wastewater COVID-19 National and Regional Trend
- www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-currentlevels.html – CDC Wastewater levels – Covid
- covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home – CDC Covid Data Tracker
- www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data-research/dashboard/illness-severity.html – CDC Respiratory Illness – Illness Severity Rate
- www.who.int/news – World Health Organization COVID-19 guidelines on masks, treatments and patient care
- www.covid.gov/tools-and-resources/resources/tests – Free Covid Tests – Available Sept 2024
Medical & Billing Resources
- MyChart-MercyHealth – our health providers
- projects.propublica.org/claimfile – ProPublica’s Claim File Helper lets you customize a letter requesting the notes and documents your insurer used when deciding to deny you coverage. Get your claim file before submitting an appeal.
- mediachomp.com/hospital-bills-in-the-usa – Important advice and links regarding paying hospital bills in the USA.
Pharmacy & Medical Supplies Resources
- myair.resmed.com – CPAP device
- MSCMedicalShop.com CPAP Medical Supplies
- www.patientrebateonline.com – Site where you can check to see the status and amount of any prescription discounts that you are currently receiving for medications.
- discountcanadadrugs.com – Canadian pharmacy that my cardiologist’s team recommended and uses for more affordable prescriptions.
- cipa.com/cipa-safe-pharmacies – Canadian International Pharmacy Association list of safe online pharmacies.
- canadianpharmacystore.com – Canadian pharmacy recommended and used by multiple people in the Medicare Q&A Facebook Group.
Veterinary Resources
- fleaassassin.com – inexpensive oral flea treatment. Highly recommended in feral cat colony rescue groups.
- www.lapoflove.com – Veterinary hospice and in-home euthanasia service
Retirement & Aging
- www.omnicalculator.com – retirement withdrawal calculator
- www.medicare.gov – Medicare – official government site
- boomerbenefits.com – Independent insurance agency HIGHLY recommended (in the Medicare Q&A Facebook group) for free advice and assistance on choosing Medicare plans. They will advise and walk you through the process, and will also help you if you have billing issues after you’ve bought your plans through them.
- www.areaagingsolutions.org – Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging
- Amazon.com Prime Access – Discounted Amazon Prime membership for those who meet income requirements
- npdbreach.com – National Public Data Breach – Search page to see if you were affected by the April 2024 hack of NationalPublicData.com
Community & Charitable Resources
Food Pantries, Free Clinics, Transportation… Not a complete list, just adding as I find them.
- aalcrs.org – Community Resource Services – Avon & Avon Lake. Services for income-qualified residents of Avon and Avon Lake. Onsite food pantry, Emergency financial assistance, Personal development programs.
- lcfreeclinic.org – Lorain County Free Clinic. Based in Oberlin, Ohio
- beaconpharmacy.org – Beacon Pharmacy. They accept some donated prescription medications.
- www.greaterclevelandfoodbank.org – The Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Includes information on pantries and resources in the Northeast Ohio Region.
Useful Articles
Various articles that I want to save, and I like link-farms better than browser bookmarks.
- lifemd.com/learn/what-happens-after-cardiac-arrest – good unvarnished overview on sudden cardiac arrest and what comes next.