The following are health promotions for May that offer themes for your workplace wellness programs. Most of the linked sites offer tool-kits with posters, articles, fact sheets, or interactive features that can be shared with your employees.
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month and it’s also National Bike Month, which ties in nicely. Bike Month can be fun to celebrate at work and at home. It has the double bonus of promoting both a healthy activity and one that is friendly to the environment. May 13 to 17 is Bike to Work Week, with May 17 designated as Bike to Work Day. Here’s a step-by-step Bike Month Guide (PDF) offering ideas for how to promote or support the effort in the workplace. And for family members, there’s also Bike to School Day on May 8.
Mental Health Month – This year’s theme is Pathways to Wellness, with emphasis on the link between physical and mental health. “The fact is our overall well-being is tied to the balance that exists between our emotional, physical, spiritual and mental health. Whatever our situation, we are all at risk of stress given the demands of daily life and the challenges it brings-at home, at work and in life. Steps that build and maintain well-being and help us all achieve wellness involve a balanced diet, regular exercise, enough sleep, a sense of self-worth, development of coping skills that promote resiliency, emotional awareness, and connections to family, friends and community.” The linked site has a Toolkit with posters, fact sheets, and more.
Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month – Skin cancer will affect 1 in 5 Americans, and more than 3.5 million new cases in 2 million people are diagnosed each year. People of all colors and races can get skin cancer. There are many different types of skin cancer, but melanoma is the most deadly. With early detection and proper treatment, the cure rate for the most common types of cancer is high, and if melanoma is detected before it spreads, it also has a high cure rate.Why not point your employees and their family members to a free skin cancer screening. A skin cancer screening is a visual inspection of your skin by a medical professional. No blood work is conducted at a screening.
May 5 to May 11 is North American Occupational Safety and Health Week – Here’s a fun and simple way to acknowledge it – simply print out the winners of the 2013 Safety on the Job Kids’ Poster Contest Winners – they are cute and good reminder why we all want to be safe at work – to return safely to families and kids!
NAOSH 2013 from jon schwerman on Vimeo.
Other Health Observances in May
- Arthritis Awareness Month
- National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month
- ALS Awareness Month
- Global Youth Traffic Safety Month
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ESI EAP offers 24-7 access to counselors and a wide variety of support resources for employees and family members who are facing difficult health challenges. We also offer wellness benefits and health risk assessments, including discounts for weight loss programs, exercise and nutrition programs, and stop smoking programs. If you want to learn more about how ESI can provide more employee EAP benefits and more employer services, call us at 800-535-4841.