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August is National Immunization Awareness Month. This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is raising awareness about the importance of immunizations in preventing disease and saving lives.
Vaccines are often associated with children. However, CDC is encouraging communities across the nation to use this month to help raise awareness about the important role immunization plays in preventing serious, sometimes deadly, diseases across the lifespan. Vaccines can save the lives of seniors, mothers, adolescents, those who travel internationally and individuals who work as health care providers and are at a high-risk for contracting diseases.
It is important to make sure children are vaccinated before the back-to-school rush. Immunizations ensure your child’s long-term health while also protecting the health of classmates, friends, family and others in the community. You can start by following CDC’s recommended immunization schedule.
For more information on resources, programs and partnerships that aim to increase vaccination rates among minority populations, visit the CDC website or vaccines.gov.
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National Minority Donor Awareness Week, observed during the first week of August, was founded by the National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program to raise awareness of the need for donation and transplantation in minority communities. According to Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), as of January 2019, there were 113,000 people waiting on a transplant and nearly 6 out of 10 people on the waiting list are racial and ethnic minorities. Every 10 minutes a new person is added to the organ donation waiting list.
One healthy donor has the potential to save eight lives. For more information about organ donation and transplantation, visit the www.organdonor.gov.
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During National Health Center Week (NHCW) the focus turns to raising awareness about the mission and accomplishments of health centers and the services they provide daily in racial and ethnic minority communities over the past five decades. This year’s theme is “America’s Health Centers: Rooted in Communities.”
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1 in 12 people across every U.S. state and territory rely on health centers as their source of health care. There is a specific focus for each day of NHCW to showcase the innovative ways health centers are providing high-quality health care, improving health outcomes and narrowing health disparities.
Health centers meet the needs of some of the youngest members of our communities. As children prepare to return to school, NHCW’s Children’s Health Day lends itself to promote health center events and services, such as vaccinations, sports physicals and medical checkups. Health centers help create a foundation for healthy living now and in the future.
For more information about events during this observance week, visit the NHCW website.
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National Breastfeeding Month is observed in August as a time to raise awareness about the health benefits of breastfeeding. According to the HHS Office on Women’s Health (OWH), breastfeeding can reduce the odds of a baby dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by 50%. Additionally, families that follow optimal breastfeeding practices save an average of $1,200 to $1,500 that would have been spent on formula.
This year’s theme is “Support Changes Everything,” and includes four subthemes for each week in August that are focused on parents, reducing disparities in breastfeeding, feeding in the workplace and the black community.
Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) breastfeeding website to find resources about breastfeeding and nutrition, data and statistics on breastfeeding rates and tips on how to be prepared to continue breastfeeding during an emergency.
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Attention behavioral health professionals: More than 6,000 professional individuals have already registered for OMH’s new program for Behavioral Health providers since its launch a few weeks ago! And, more than 1,300 users have completed the entire program.
Start this FREE Think Cultural Health e-learning program today and earn up to 5 contact hours on your own time. The program is accredited for licensed drug and alcohol counselors, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers.
Program topics at-a-glance:
- Connections between culture and behavioral health
- The impact of cultural identity on interactions with clients
- Ways to engage, assess, and treat clients from diverse backgrounds
Register now!
Think Cultural Health is an OMH website that provides health and health care professionals with information, continuing education opportunities and resources on cultural competency and the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care, also known as the National CLAS Standards.
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The OMH Knowledge Center online catalog provides access to a broad spectrum of government documents, article abstracts, and other reports related to disparities and immunizations for minority populations. Search here to see a summary of recent publications on this topic.
To find out more about how to use the Knowledge Center Online Library, watch this video.
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