Throughout the next few weeks, health professionals and community groups from across the world will be sponsoring health promotion events to help stimulate awareness of health risks, diseases and emerging issues in healthcare.
- Black History Month: February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate and recognize the achievements of African Americans throughout U.S. history. Among those champions are black nurses who continue to shape healthcare equality and the nursing profession. On February 7, 2013, the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), a non-profit organization that facilitates collective action by black nurses to address healthcare needs of African Americans, celebrated its 25th Annual National Black Nurses Day on Capitol Hill. More than 450 nurses and nursing students attended the event to educate Congress on the nursing shortage, nursing profession and healthcare disparities. For more information about the NBNA, visit www.nbna.org.
- Rare Disease Awareness Day: February 28, 2013 marks the sixth annual international Rare Disease Awareness Day. On this day, hundreds of patient organizations from more than 60 countries and regions worldwide will host and participate in activities to help bring recognition to rare diseases and the people affected by them. Currently, approximately 30 million Americans are affected by almost 7,000 rare diseases, and the rarity of these diseases can make it difficult for affected individuals to receive an accurate diagnosis or proper care. For more information about how you can get involved, visit www.rarediseaseday.org.
- National Sleep Awareness Week: The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) will be releasing its annual Sleep in America poll results on March 4, 2013. Since 1991, the poll has been conducted as an annual check-up on Americans’ sleep health practices. The NSF will release the results of the poll at its annual Sleep Health and Safety conference, which also marks the start of National Sleep Awareness Week™ (March 3-10, 2013), an annual public education and awareness campaign designed to promote the importance of sleep. The final day of the week coincides with the beginning of Daylight Saving Time (DST), when Americans lose one hour of sleep. For more information about National Sleep Awareness Week, visit www.sleepfoundation.org.