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In partnership with our member charities, Community Health Charities is proud to offer National Health Day email updates to businesses throughout the state to promote and enhance the health and wellness of employees and their families. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in learning more about any of the monthly National Health Day topics. We may offer a Lunch & Learn relevant to a topic that may be of interest to the employees in your workplace. Skin Cancer Detection & Prevention Month/Melanoma - Monday, May 1, 2006 American Academy of Dermatology- recognized by the American Cancer Society It is expected that in 2006, melanoma skin cancer (the most serious form of skin cancer) will be diagnosed in about 62,000 individuals in the U.S.; 7,900 individuals will die from this disease. A major risk factor for this type of skin cancer is exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and tanning lamps and booths. Limit or avoid being in the sun between 10am-4pm. Cover head and face with a hat. Use a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher. Source: information taken from the American Cancer Society www.cancer.org. Stroke Month American Heart Association Are you an African American man or woman? Do you know you are at risk for a stroke? Consider this: African American's have almost twice the risk of first-ever strokes compared to whites. Black women have a higher prevalence rate of risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity, and diabetes than white women. Reduce your chances of having a stroke by understanding the risk factors and recognizing the warning signs. As part of American Stroke Month, the American Stroke Association (a division of the American Heart Association) is offering free stroke screenings around the state from May 19-26. Call 1-888-4-STROKE (1-888-478-7653) to find out about a "Stroke Alert" location near you. A Lunch & Learn on this topic is available. Please refer to topic # 31 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: information taken from the American Stroke Association www.strokeassociation.org Clean Air Month American Lung Association Over the past twenty years, air quality levels for pollutants have improved in the United States. However, about 160 million tons of air pollution were released into the air. Approximately 146 million people in the U.S. live in counties that do not meet the EPA standards. Ways to protect yourself and the air you breathe: walk, bike, or carpool; combine trips; fill up your car with gasoline after dark (filling up after dark helps prevent the sun from turning gases into smog); use hand-powered or electric lawn care equipment rather than those that are gasoline-powered. Contact the American Lung Association of CT for more information about air pollution, lung health and local air quality control at 1-860-289-5401, www.alact.org or visit www.lungusa.org. A Lunch & Learn on this topic is available. Please refer to topic # 14 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: information taken from the American Lung Association, Health Disparities in Lung Disease 2006. Asthma Awareness Month American Lung Association African Americans are disproportionately affected by lung disease, including asthma. They have the highest prevalence of any racial/ethnic group and are three times more likely to die from asthma than whites. Asthma can be managed. Know your triggers. Find ways to avoid them. Take your medications as prescribed. A Lunch & Learn on this topic is available. Please refer to topic # 36 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: information taken from www.lungusa.org National Arthritis Month Arthritis Foundation Arthritis affects about 66 million adults (nearly 1 in 3 adults) in the United States. It is one of the most prevalent chronic health problems and the nation's leading cause of disability among Americans over age 15. Baby boomers are now at prime risk. More than half of those affected are under age 65. For information on the 2006 Arthritis Walk® to help raise funds to prevent, control and cure arthritis, contact www.arthritis.org for details. A Lunch & Learn on this topic is available. Please refer to topic # 16 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: information taken from www.arthritis.org-Southern New England Chapter Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Awareness Day - May 12, 2006 CT CFIDS & FM Association Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and Fibromyalgia (FM) are illnesses that can overlap with each other and include many symptoms such as profound fatigue, problems with concentration and short term memory, flu-like joint pain, tender lymph nodes, sore throat and headache. These symptoms can mimic other conditions. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) estimates at least 800,000 adults in the U.S. have CFIDS and the American College of Rheumatology reports fibromyalgia affects approximately 3-6 million Americans. A Lunch & Learn on this topic is available. Please refer to topic # 2 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: information taken from www.cfidsfm.org Lyme Awareness Month Lyme Disease Foundation and Arthritis Foundation Lyme disease is transmitted by a tick infected with the Lyme disease bacteria. Ticks can bite year round; peak season in the northeast is April to September and November to April on the west coast. Typical early symptoms can include a rash at the site of being bitten. This rash, not necessarily a "bulls eye" rash, may appear within a week to a month after a tick bite. Some people do not get a rash. Other symptoms may include fatigue, headache, neck stiffness, jaw discomfort, muscle or joint pain, a slight fever, swollen glands, reddening of the eyes or facial droop. If you have any of these symptoms and feel you might have been exposed to a tick, consult your healthcare professional immediately. A Lunch & Learn on this topic is available. Please refer to topic # 15 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: Lyme Disease: Related Disorders pamphlet www.lymediseaseinformation.com ALS Awareness Month & National ALS Advocacy Day, May 17, 2006 ALS Association, CT Chapter, Muscular Dystrophy Association Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) often called "Lou Gehrig's disease" is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. Every day, an average of 15 people are newly diagnosed with ALS; more than 5,600 people per year. As many as 30,000 Americans may currently be affected by ALS. Annually, ALS is responsible for two deaths per one hundred thousand individuals. The average life expectancy of a person with ALS is two to five years from time of diagnosis. However, as a result of recent advances in research and improved medical care, many with ALS are living longer and leading more productive lives. A Lunch & Learn on this topic is available. Please refer to topic # 40 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: information taken from www.alsa.org - In the News/Quick Facts Neurofibromatosis Month Children's Tumor Foundation "Neurofibromatosis (NF) is the most common neurological disorder caused by a single gene. There are three types, NF1, NF2, and Schwannomatosis. Neurofibromatosis affects more than 100,000 Americans, making it more prevalent than cystic fibrosis, hereditary muscular dystrophy, Huntington's disease and Tay Sachs combined. In 50 percent of the cases, NF is inherited from a parent. The remaining 50% of NF cases occur as the result of a new (or spontaneous) mutation (change) in the sperm or egg cell." Source: Children's Tumor Foundation www.ctf.org National Sight Saving Month: Ultraviolet Awareness Month Prevent Blindness Tri-State Did you know that ultraviolet light ("sunburn rays") can cause eye damage; UV-A rays penetrate deep into the eye while UV-B can damage the front of the eye; the safest sunglasses are made out of polycarbonate? The most immediate danger to children's eyes is from extreme over exposure to the sun known as "corneal sunburn" or photokeratitis. When buying sunglasses, look for those that block 99-100 percent UV-A and UV-B rays. Lifeguards have an increased risk of UV eye damage; however, UV coating can be added to prescription glasses. Source information taken from www.preventblindness.org/eye_problems Mental Health Awareness Month Mental Health Association of CT Mental illnesses are real, common and treatable. Did you know mental health conditions are the second leading cause of workplace absenteeism; as many as 8 million Americans who have serious mental illnesses are not receiving adequate treatment; only about 21 percent of children in the U.S. who need mental health services actually receive them. Nearly 15 percent of college students have been diagnosed with depression. Lunch & Learns on this topic are available. Please refer to topic #'s 1, 23 & 41 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source of information: National Mental Health Association/Fast Facts www.nmha.org National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day-May 3, 2006 Mental Health Association of CT What do Barbara Streisand, Donny Osmond, Carly Simon and 17 million Americans have in common? They have all suffered from an anxiety disorder, one of America's most common mental illnesses. About 2.8 percent of the U.S. population (4 million Americans) has a generalized anxiety disorder during a year's time. It most often strikes those in childhood or adolescence, but can begin in adulthood, too. It affects women more often than men. Screenings will take place by the Mental Health Association on May 3rd from 9-4pm by phone at 860-346-1924. A Lunch & Learn on this topic is available. Please refer to topic # 1 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: taken from the National Mental Health Association www.nmha.org and Freedom From Fear www.freedomfromfear.org National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease affecting approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States. More than 10 million Americans are unknowing, symptom less carriers of the defective CF gene. CF occurs in approximately one of every 3,500 live births. About 1,000 new cases of CF are diagnosed each year. The sweat test is the standard diagnostic test for CF. A sweat test should be performed at a CF Foundation-accredited care center where strict guidelines are followed to ensure accurate results. This simple and painless procedure measures the amount of salt in the sweat. A high salt level indicates CF. Source: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation www.cff.org World No Tobacco Day, May 31, 2006 American Lung Association Tobacco addiction, a worldwide epidemic, affects countries and regions that can least afford its toll of disability, disease, lost productivity and death. The purpose of World No Tobacco Day 2006 is to encourage countries and governments to work towards strict regulation of tobacco products through awareness about the existence of the wide variety of deadly tobacco products. The American Lung Association's Smokefree Air 2010 Challenge urges all states to adopt strong smoke free air laws. Currently there are nine states that have no-smoking laws in effect in the workplace, which also do not allow smoking in separately ventilated rooms and do not have size exemptions. Thirteen states do not allow smoking in restaurants including separately ventilated rooms and an attached bar in the restaurant. Lunch & Learns on this topic are available. Please refer to topic #'s 14 & 19 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation www.no-smoke.org, American Lung Association www.lungusa.org/ Tobacco Control If you would not like to receive these updates each month, please send an email to the list administrator by clicking here |
