Monthly Health Awareness for April

Do you pay attention to the different Health Awareness months/weeks/days? Various health issues fill the calendar with awareness months that are meant to educate the general public about the individual causes.

Some months and causes seem to go well, hand-in-hand. For example, February is Heart Month and May is used to raise awareness of Lyme Disease. Others appear to be more random, such as Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, which is in July. The organizations that sponsor the special awareness times put a lot of time and effort into their public service announcements. But do they make an impact on the general public?

How many of you, who aren't directly affected by the disease or problem, have heard of National Radon Action Month (January), Children of Alcoholics Week (February), National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March) and National Facial Protection Month (April)?

The point is, some issues are out there, in our faces all the time. We all know about breast cancer awareness spots, heart attack information and so on, but there are many other health issues that need to be addressed. So, are these groups doing a good job spreading the word? What do you think?

For your information, here are the April Health observances, as per the 2010 National Health Observances Calendar:

1 - 30 Alcohol Awareness Month SAMHSA's Health Information Network P.O. Box 2345 Rockville, MD 20847-2345 (877) 726-4727 English/Spanish (240) 221-4292 Fax shin@samhsa.hhs.gov ncadi.samhsa.gov/seasonal/aprilalcohol/ Materials available Contact: None designated	1 - 30 Foot Health Awareness Month American Podiatric Medical Association 9312 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, MD 20814-1621 (301) 581-9227 (301) 530-2752 Fax ahberard@apma.org www.apma.org Materials available Contact: Angela Berard
1 - 30 Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders P.O. Box 170864 Milwaukee, WI 53217-8076 (888) 964-2001 (414) 964-1799 (414) 964-7176 Fax iffgd@iffgd.org www.aboutibs.org/site/about-ibs/april-ib s-awareness-month Materials available Contact: Nancy Norton	1 - 30 National Autism Awareness Month The Autism Society 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 300 Bethesda, MD 20814-3067 (800) 3–AUTISM (328-8476) (301) 657-0881 (301) 657-0869 Fax info@autism-society.org www.autism-society.org/naam Materials available Contact: None designated
1 - 30 National Cancer Control Month American Cancer Society 250 Williams Street NW Atlanta, GA 30303 (800) ACS-2345 (227-2345) www.cancer.org Materials available Contact: National Office	1 - 30 National Child Abuse Prevention Month Child Welfare Information Gateway Children's Bureau ACYF, AFC, HHS 1250 Maryland Avenue SW, #8111 Washington, DC 20024 (800) 394-3366 (202) 260-9345 Fax info@childwelfare.gov www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/preventi onmonth/ Materials available Contact: None designated
1 - 30 National Donate Life Month Division of Transplantation, Healthcare Systems Bureau Health Resources and Services Administration U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Parklawn Building, Room 12C-05 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD 20857 (888) 275-4772 (703) 821-2098 Fax ask@hrsa.gov www.organdonor.gov/get_involved/donateli femonth.htm Materials available Contact: Division of Transplantation Staff	1 - 30 National Facial Protection Month American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry American Association of Orthodontists 9700 West Bryn Mawr Avenue Rosemont, IL 60018 (847) 678-6200 inquiries@aaoms.org www.aaoms.org Materials available Contact: AAOMS Communications
1 - 30 National Minority Health Awareness Month Office of Minority Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services P.O. Box 37337 Washington, DC 20013-7337 (800) 444-6472 (240) 453-2883 Fax info@omhrc.gov minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/browse. aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=182 Materials available Contact: None designated	1 - 30 National Sarcoidosis Awareness Month National Sarcoidosis Society National Sarcoidosis Foundation 2525 South Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60616 (312) 567-6626 (312) 567-6144 Fax sarcoidosis3@gmail.com www.nationalsarcoidosisfriends.org Materials available Contact: Glenda Fulton
1 - 30 National Youth Sports Safety Month National Youth Sports Safety Foundation One Beacon Street, Suite 3333 Boston, MA 02108 (617) 367-6677 (617) 722-9999 Fax nyssf@aol.com www.nyssf.org/campaign.html Materials available Contact: Rita Glassman	1 - 30 Occupational Therapy Month American Occupational Therapy Association 4720 Montgomery Lane P.O. Box 31220 Bethesda, MD 20824-1220 (301) 652-6611 (800) 377-8555 TDD (301) 652-7258 Fax praota@aota.org www.aota.org/news/consumer/ot-month.aspx Materials available Contact: None designated
1 - 30 Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) 2000 L Street NW, Suite 406 Washington, DC 20036 (800) 656-4673 info@rainn.org www.rainn.org Materials available Contact: None designated	1 - 30 Sports Eye Safety Month American Academy of Ophthalmology P.O. Box 7424 San Francisco, CA 94120-7424 (415) 447-0213 (415) 561-8533 Fax eyemd@aao.org www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/injuries/in dex.cfm Materials available Contact: Georgia Alward
1 - 30 Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month Prevent Blindness America 211 West Wacker Drive, Suite 1700 Chicago, IL 60606 (800) 331-2020 (847) 843-8458 Fax info@preventblindness.org www.preventblindness.org Materials available Contact: PBA Consumer and Patient Hotline	5 - 11 National Public Health Week American Public Health Association 800 I Street NW Washington, DC 20001-3710 (202) 777-2509 (202) 777-2500 TTY (202) 777-2532 Fax bithiah.lafontant@apha.org www.nphw.org/nphw10/home1.htm Materials available Contact: Bithiah Lafontant
7 World Health Day Pan American Health Organization WHO Regional Office for the Americas 525 23rd Street NW Washington, DC 20037-2895 (202) 974-3156 (202) 974-3645 Fax www.who.int/world-health-day/en/ Materials available Contact: None designated	8 National Alcohol Screening Day® Screening for Mental Health, Inc. One Washington Street, Suite 304 Wellesley Hills, MA 02481 (781) 239-0071 (781) 431-7447 Fax smhinfo@mentalhealthscreening.org www.mentalhealthscreening.org/events/nas d/ Materials available Contact: Ariela Edelson
20 Sexual Assault Awareness Month Day of Action National Sexual Violence Resource Center 123 North Enola Drive Enola, PA 17025 (877) 739-3895 (717) 909-0714 Fax resources@nsvrc.org www.nsvrc.org/saam/current-campaign/day- of-action Materials available Contact: Lauren Sogor	24 - May 1 National Infant Immunization Week National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS E-05 Atlanta, GA 30333 (800) CDC-INFO (232-4636) (404) 639-8200 (404) 639-8905 Fax cdcinfo@cdc.gov www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/niiw/default .htm Materials available Contact: Michelle Basket
24 - 25 2010 March for Babies March of Dimes Foundation 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue White Plains, NY 10605 (800) 525-9255 (914) 997-4617 Fax marchforbabies@marchofdimes.com www.marchforbabies.org Materials available Contact: Bob Aglione	24 World Meningitis Day Confederation of Meningitis Organization CoMO, Meningitis Centre Telethon Institite for Child Health Research P.O. Box 866 West Perth AUSTRALIA, 6872 linda@ichr.uwa.edu.au www.comoonline.org/wmd.html Contact: Linda Gibbs