Why stop with simple recognition? Turn 'awareness' days into bona fide holidays

"Recognizing National Public Health Week will serve as an important reminder for individuals, families and communities to focus on stopping preventable diseases before they start,” says Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.).

“National Public Health Week offers a reminder to all of our nation’s families that many of the choices we make in our daily lives directly determine how long we live and how well we live,” says Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-East Los Angeles).

Both are quoted in this release from the National Public Health Assn. Both have introduced resolutions calling attention to National Public Health Week. (It's April 5-11, should you want to mark it on your calendars.)

But is simply calling more attention to National Public Health Week enough? April is already a busy month as efforts to raise awareness go. 

April is also ...

* Alcohol Awareness Month

* Foot Health Awareness Month

* Irritable Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month

* National Autism Awareness Month

* National Cancer Control Month

* National Child Abuse Prevention Month

* National Donate Life Month

* National Facial Protection Month

* National Minority Health Awareness Month

* National Sarcoidosis Awareness Month

* National Youth Sports Safety Month

* Occupational Therapy Month

* Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

* Sports Eye Safety Month

* Women's Eye Health and Safety Month

And, let's not forget, April also has ...

* World Health Day

* National Alcohol Screening Day

* Sexual Assault Awareness Month's Day of Action

* National Infant Immunization Week

* and World Meningitis Day.

If we're serious about calling attention to the importance of public health, it's time to raise the stakes. Let's make April 5 an official holiday -- no mail delivery, no school, no banking services, the whole nine yards. We could use it for vaccinations, screenings, lectures on nutrition, group exercise classes in the park...

In fact, perhaps other awareness-raising efforts need their own holidays too -- but only the truly deserving ones. We'd hate to cheapen the impact of these noble health observances.

Here's the text of the resolutions. And here's the full observances calendar.

-- Tami Dennis

Photo: This traveler at LAX, arriving last spring during the swine flu outbreak, is a likely candidate for the "be aware of public health" message. Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Patrick]

Stop it, stop it, stop it! Just stop it! This will just mean more PAID HOLIDAYS for government workers while the rest of us here in the private sector will still go to work on your "Health Holiday" to pay more taxes so the leeches can benefit. Enough already. Too much, in fact. And how many people will actually go get vaccinations that day, or attend health clinics? And how many will just sit at home eating marshmallows and watching TV? Independence Day falls on a Sunday this year. I won't get a paid holiday on the Friday before or the Monday after. I, along with all of my coworkers, will be working both days, paying for the leeches' day off. Government is out of control, and it is foolish and dangerous to encourage it further.

[Chuck]

Healthy living is a lifestyle not a holiday.

[Scott]

I totally agree that there are too many paid holidays for government workers already. If you think that private-sector employers are going to give us paid time off for National Public Health Day or whatever, I want some of what you're smoking. This is not France.

[Tami]

The holiday suggestion was not a serious one, guys.