Virginia is located on the east coast of the United States, with its state capitol located in Richmond. Virginia has 135 counties and 40 independent cities. Among the 50 states, Virginia ranks 35th in size, covering 39,594 square miles. According to the 2000 Census, Virginia had a population of 7,078,515 million people, ranking 12th most populous among the 50 states and District of Columbia. By 2025, it is projected to be the 12th most populous with 8.5 million people.

In 2000, 73 percent of the population lived in urban areas, with over half the population residing in the state's three major metropolitan areas: Northern Virginia, Richmond-Petersburg metropolitan area, and Hampton Roads. At the time of the 2000 federal census, whites constituted 72.3 percent of the population, blacks 19.6 percent, Hispanics 4.7 percent and Asians 3.7 percent. Virginia's three large metropolitan areas have a great deal of ethnic diversity. The Norfolk area, in particular, has one of the nation's largest Filipino communities, and northern Virginia has the largest Vietnamese community on the East Coast. Northern Virginia is also home to large communities of Koreans and Hispanics, especially from Central America. (Census Bureau State Population Rankings Summary; Encarta)

Demographics

Virginia State and County QuickFacts - This resource from the U.S. Census Bureau provides summary profiles for frequently requested data items from various Census Bureau programs. Profiles are available at the national, state, and county level.

Statistics

Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts Online - Virginia at a Glance - This resource provides the latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation.

Virginia Center for Health Statistics - This site provides population and vital events data, minority health and life expectancy data.

News Information

Virginia Press Releases - Links to press releases from Virginia government agencies.

Virginia News Media - This site provides links to newspapers, television stations, radio stations, and selected magazines.

Media Links - Links from the state web site to Virginia radio stations, television stations, magazines and newspapers.

Health Resources
(Information about Health Services Infrastructure)

Virginia Department of Health

Library Information

Libraries

The Library of Virginia - The Library of Virginia serves the library and archival needs of the government and citizens of Virginia .

The Virtual Library of Virginia - A consortium of academic libraries in Virginia , including the 39 state-assisted colleges and universities, 30 private colleges and universities, and the Library of Virginia. This site also provides links to all Virginia college and university libraries, including those not participating in VIVA.

Virginia Public Library Directory

Directory of Virginia State Agency Libraries and Resource Centers

Regional Medical Library: University of Maryland Baltimore, Health Sciences Human Services Library

Virginia Resource Libraries:

University of Virginia Health System
Claude Moore Health Sciences Library
PO Box 800722, 1300 Jefferson Park Avenue
Charlottesville , VA 22908-0722
Phone: 434-924-0051
Fax: 434-243-6928

Eastern Virginia Medical School
Brickell Medical Sciences Library
740 W Olney Road, PO Box 1980
Norfolk , VA 23501-1980
Phone: 757-446-5847
Fax: 757-446-5134

Virginia Commonwealth University
Tompkins McCaw Library, Resource Delivery
509 N 12th Street Box 980582
Richmond , VA 23298-0582
Phone: 804-828-2004
Fax: 804-828-6089

There are many fine local libraries in the network that provide health information and other services. For help finding a participating library click here.

Associations

Virginia Library Association - The state chapter of the American Library Association for library staff and trustees, library school students, libraries, and friends of libraries representing the full spectrum of librarianship in Virginia .

Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association - An organization of health sciences librarians and other information professionals serving the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Virginia Special Libraries Association

Virginia Council of Health Sciences Librarians (VaCOHSL) - VaCOHSL consists of members from the state of Virginia who work, consult, volunteer, or who have a general interest in health sciences libraries.

Northern Virginia Health Sciences Librarians (NVHSL)
Elizabeth McTigue
Health Sciences Library
INOVA Fairfax Hospital
3300 Gallows Road
Falls Church, VA 33042-3300
Phone: 703-698-3357
Email: elizabeth.mctigue@inova.com

Southwest Virginia Health Information Librarians
Kelly Near
Health Sciences Library
University of Virginia Health System
P.O. Box 800722
Charlottesville, VA 22908-0722
Phone: 434-924-1607
Fax: 434-243-6928
Email: kkn3u@virginia.edu

Tidewater Health Science Librarians
Suzanne Duncan
Health Sciences Library
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
600 Gresham Drive
Norfolk, VA 23507
Phone: 757-668-3693
Fax: 757-668-2514
Email:sxduncan@sentara.com

Library School

University of Maryland College of Information Studies (CLIS)
4105 Hornbake Building
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Phone: (301) 405-2033
Fax: (301) 314-9145
Email: lbscgrad@deans.umd.edu

Specific Populations

(General Resources, Virginia Resources, African American, Hispanic, Asian American)

General Resources:

Office of Minority Health - A division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services whose mission is to improve and protect the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will eliminate health disparities.

Minority Health - Sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation, this resource provides links to Foundation reports as well as state-by-state statistical information.

Population Group Topics - This resource from the National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus provides links to topic sheets for a number of population groups.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Status - A fact sheet on health disparities from the Centers for Disease Control.

Health Professional Shortage Areas - This resource from the HRSA Bureau of Health Professions defines the health professional shortage area designation criteria and offers database searching by state and county.

Minority Health Resources - A subject guide from the Health Sciences and Human Services Library with links to general and population-specific health information resources.

Virginia Resources:

Virginia Health Care Foundation - The Virginia Health Care Foundation promotes and funds local public-private partnerships that increase access to primary health care services for medically underserved and uninsured Virginians.

Virginia Health Information - VHI has information and data on Virginia hospitals, health insurance, nursing facilities, physicians, retirement centers and other health care providers. Learn about care options, compare services and choose providers. VHI also licenses databases and creates special reports for employers, researchers, consultants, and health care providers.

Virginia Office of Minority Health - The mission of the Office of Minority Health is to eliminate health disparities that exist among racial and ethnic minority populations in Virginia.

Virginia Minority Health - From the Kaiser Family Foundation's State Health Facts Online

African American

African American Health - This MedlinePlus topic sheet provides links to a variety of health information resources for and about African Americans.

The Black Population in the United States - Detailed demographic information on the African American population from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Hispanic

Hispanic Population in the United States - Detailed demographic information on the U.S. Hispanic population from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Hispanic-American Health - This MedlinePlus topic sheet provides links to a variety of health information resources for and about Hispanic-Americans.

National Alliance for Hispanic Health - This site includes information about the Alliance , health news, and other topics of interest. Resources on the site include Health Fact Sheets, Hispanic Health Needs Assessment, and Funding Leads.

Asian American

Asian and Pacific Islander Populations - Detailed demographic information on U.S. Asian and Pacific Islander populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Asian-American Health - This MedlinePlus topic sheet provides links to a variety of health information resources for and about people of Asian and Pacific Island descent.

Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum Links and Resources - This site provides links to health organizations and programs for Asian and Pacific Islanders.

Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations - An organization that promotes advocacy, collaboration and leadership that improves the health status and access of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders within the United States. This site provides links to members, products and publications, programs, and related links.

Additional Resources

The National Library of Medicine - The following NLM products may be useful to you and are available on the web at no cost: The following NLM products may be useful to you and are available on the web at no cost: ClinicalTrials.gov, NLM Gateway, MedlinePlus, PubMedand TOXNET. A full listing of NLM's online resources is available on their Health Information page.

FedStats provides access to statistics prepared by over 100 federal agencies. Statistics are available on a state and community level.

FirstGov provides a search engine and topical indexes for US state and federal information. To search for information on a particular state, use the form in the upper left corner.

State and Local Government on the Net provides links to government information on a state and local level for the fifty states, as well as selected US-associated areas such as Guam.

RML State Contact

Toni Yancey, Outreach Exhibits Coordinator, tyancey@hshsl.umaryland.edu

Miss Yancey exhibits, teaches PubMed classes, and supports subcontracts and library improvement projects in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. She also manages the state and national exhibits for the region.

Do you have further questions? Call us at 1-800-338-7657 and Choose 1 for Regional Network Office .