Healthcare awareness calendar: Key months, weeks and days from January to December

Here are the days, weeks and months set aside to raise awareness or recognize healthcare conditions and workers.

January

•    National Blood Donor Month
•    National Glaucoma Awareness Month
•    National Volunteer Blood Donor Month
•    Cervical Health Awareness Month
•    Thyroid Awareness Month
•    National Birth Defects Prevention Month

Days to note:

•    Jan. 25: National Intravenous Nurse Day

February

•    American Heart Month
•    AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month
•    National Cancer Prevention Month
•    International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month

Weeks to note:

•    Feb. 1 to Feb. 7: Patient Recognition Week
•    Feb. 7 to Feb. 14: Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week
•    Feb. 12 to Feb. 18: National Cardiac Rehabilitation Week
•    Feb. 14 to Feb. 21: Alzheimer's and Dementia Staff Education Week

Days to note:

•    Feb. 3: National Wear Red Day for women's heart health
•    Feb. 4: World Cancer Day
•    Feb. 14: National Donor Day
•    Feb. 22: National Heart Valve Disease Awareness Day

March

•    National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
•    Brain Injury Awareness Month
•    National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
•    Save Your Vision Month
•    National Nutrition Month
•    Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month
•    National Kidney Month
•    National Endometriosis Awareness Month

Weeks to note:

•    March 12 to March 18: Patient Safety Awareness Week
•    March 12 to March 18: Long Term Care Administrators Week
•    March 12 to March 18: National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week

Days to note:

•    March 8: Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day
•    March 20: World Oral Health Day
•    March 22: The American Diabetes Association Alert Day
•    March 24: World TB Day
•    March 30: National Doctor's Day

April

•    National Occupational Therapy Month
•    National Parkinson's Awareness Month
•    National Cancer Control Month
•    Stress Awareness Month
•    Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month
•    National Autism Awareness Month
•    Oral Cancer Awareness Month

Weeks to note:

•    April 2 to April 8: World Health Worker Week
•    April 3 to April 9: National Public Health Week
•    April 18 to April 24: National Minority Cancer Awareness Week
•    April 18 to April 24: National Minority Cancer Awareness Week
•    April 23 to April 29: National Volunteer Week
•    April 23 to April 29: National Infertility Awareness Week
•    April 23 to April 30: World Immunization Week

Days to note:

•    April 7: World Health Day
•    April 24: World Meningitis Day
•    April 25: World Malaria Day

May

•    Better Hearing and Speech Month
•    Employee Health and Fitness Month
•    Healthy Vision Month
•    National American Stroke Month
•    National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month
•    Older Americans Month
•    National High Blood Pressure Education Month
•    National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Awareness Month
•    National Mental Health Month
•    Arthritis Awareness Month
•    Hepatitis Awareness Month
•    National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month
•    Preeclampsia Awareness Month

Weeks to note:

•    May 6 to May 12: National Nurses Week
•    May 7 to May 13: National Hospital Week
•    May 14 to May 20: National Nursing Home Week
•    May 14 to May 20: National Women's Health Week

Days to note:

•    May 5: Save Lives: Clean Your Hands Campaign
•    May 31: World No Tobacco Day

June

•    National Safety Month
•    Cataract Awareness Month
•    Men's Health Month
•    National Scleroderma Awareness Month

Weeks to note:

•    June 1 to June 7: National Migraine Awareness Week
•    June 12 to June 18: National Men's Health Week
•    June 15 to June 22: National Nursing Assistant Week
•    June 24 to June 30: Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week

Days to note:

•    June 4: Cancer Survivors Day
•    June 14: World Blood Donor Day
•    June 19: World Sickle Cell Day
•    June 27: National HIV Testing Day

July

•    Eye Injury Prevention Month
•    UV Safety Month
•    National Cleft & Craniofacial Awareness & Prevention Month

Days to note:

•    July 23: National Parents' Day
•    July 28: World Hepatitis Day

August

•    National Immunization Awareness Month
•    Medic Alert Awareness Month
•    Gastroparesis Awareness Month

Weeks to note:

•    Aug. 1 to Aug. 7: World Breastfeeding Week
•    Aug. 13 to Aug. 19: National Health Center Week
•    Aug. 14 to Aug. 18: Fungal Disease Awareness Week

Days to note:

•    Aug. 23: Health Unit Coordinators Day

September

•    Pain Awareness Month
•    Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
•    Healthy Aging Month
•    National Cholesterol Education Month
•    National Sickle Cell Awareness Month
•    Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma Awareness Month
•    National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month
•    National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
•    National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
•    National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
•    National Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month
•    Sepsis Awareness Month

Weeks to note:

•    Sept. 10 to Sept. 16: National Assisted Living Week
•    Sept. 17 to Sept. 23: National Rehabilitation Awareness Week

Days to note:

•    Sept. 13: National Celiac Disease Awareness Day
•    Sept. 22: Falls Prevention Awareness Day
•    Sept. 29: World Heart Day

October

•    National Physical Therapy Month
•    American Pharmacists Month
•    National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
•    National Dental Hygiene Month
•    National Chiropractic Month
•    Residents' Rights Month

Weeks to note:

•    Oct. 1 to Oct. 7: National Mental Illness Awareness Week
•    Oct. 2 to Oct. 6: National Primary Care Week
•    Oct. 8 to Oct. 15: Case Management Week
•    Oct. 12 to Oct. 20: Bone and Joint Health Action Week
•    Oct. 15 to Oct. 21 National Healthcare Quality Week
•    Oct. 16 to Oct. 20: National Health Education Week
•    Oct. 22 to Oct. 28: National Respiratory Care Week

Days to note:

•    Oct. 5: National Depression Screening Day
•    Oct. 10: World Mental Health Day
•    Oct 8: World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
•    Oct. 13: Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day
•    Oct. 15: Global Handwashing Day

November

•    National Hospice/Palliative Care Month
•    National Family Caregivers Month
•    National Home Health Care Month
•    National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month
•    American Diabetes Month
•    Lung Cancer Awareness Month
•    Stomach Cancer Awareness Month

Weeks to note:

•    Nov. 12 to Nov. 18: Home Care Aide Week
•    Nov. 13 to Nov. 19: World Antibiotic Awareness Week
•    Nov. 20 to Nov. 26: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Awareness Week

Days to note:

•    Nov. 11: Veteran's Day
•    Nov. 14: World Diabetes Day

December

Weeks to note:

•    Dec. 3 to Dec. 9: National Hand Washing Awareness Week
•    Dec. 4 to Dec. 11: National Influenza Vaccination Week

Days to note:

•    Dec. 1: World AIDS Day

Sources:

1. National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization:
https://www.nhpco.org/publications/2017-health-observance-dates

2. WHO:
http://www.who.int/hrh/news/2017/5th_health-worker-week/en/

3. American Health Care Association & National Center for Assisted Living:
https://www.ahcancal.org/events/Documents/2017%20Healthcare%20Observances%20Calendar.pdf

4. Globalhandwashingday.org:
https://globalhandwashing.org/global-handwashing-day/

5. HHS' Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion-National Health Observances:
https://healthfinder.gov/NHO/nhoyear.aspx?year=2017

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