Annual Awareness Period Celebrated 27th Anniversary of Men’s Health Week, Reaches Millions of People Globally

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES, July 1, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Men’s Health Month, the annual awareness period dedicated to the health and wellness of men, boys, and their families, came to a close this week after a successful awareness period that reached millions of people around the globe through health events, social media, educational activities, and more. While Men’s Health Month only runs in June, Men’s Health Network (MHN) continues to spread awareness and promote healthy lifestyles for men, boys, and their families throughout the year.

This June celebrated the 27th anniversary of National Men’s Health Week (NMHW), passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994. There are over 400 proclamations from governors, municipal leaders, and Native American communities. Other activities included health events, social media campaigns, and more. The Week is now celebrated as International Men's Health Week (http://imhw.org/) in countries around the globe.

“We’re thrilled that Men’s Health Month and Men’s Health Week continue to reach new heights each and every year in raising general awareness about men’s health issues,” said Ana Fadich-Tomsic, MPH, CHES, Vice President of MHN. “Throughout the month, we engaged partners globally around men’s health to make an effort to reach and inspire millions, as well as acknowledging the health disparities of men and boys. This month, we encouraged everyone to ‘Wear Blue and a Mask, Too’ to both combat COVID-19 and improve men’s health simultaneously. After over a year of the pandemic ravaging the globe, we continue to encourage men and their loved ones to get vaccinated and stop the spread.”

Highlights included:

• Wear BLUE Day (the Friday before Father’s Day, June 18 this year) – Individuals from around the globe posted photos of themselves wearing blue to show solidarity for men’s health issues using the hashtags #WearBlueForMen and #ShowUsYourBlue. Participants included the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Minority Health, state and local government agencies, Native American communities, and others.

• Online Twitter Chats – MHN hosted three Twitter chats that focused on men’s health, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in men, and men’s mental health. These chats were both local and global in scope, reaching millions of people on Twitter and across multiple social media platforms. Partners in those chats included the American Nurses Association, the HHS Office of Minority Health, the Men’s Health Caucus of the American Public Health Association, HealthyWomen, Mental Health America and others.

• HHS Briefing – This June 16 briefing on Men’s Health, Gender Equity, and the COVID-19 Pandemic was co-hosted by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) and MHN. The event was streamed live on MHN’s Facebook and was viewed live on ZOOM by hundreds of people. Watch a replay of the webinar in its entirety on MHN’s YouTube page at https://youtu.be/pzBSQp6xBhE.

• Congressional Briefing – Caucus Chair Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr. (D-NJ) joined the Congressional Men's Health Caucus virtual briefing on June 24 to discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on Men's Mental Health. MHN co-hosted the event and it was streamed live on MHN's Facebook and can be seen at https://youtu.be/ORHx2L-8Ihk on YouTube.

• Once again, Congress recognized Men's Health Week with a proclamation (see here: https://www.menshealthnetwork.org/library/mens-health-week-congress.pdf).

"Every June, we take a small portion of our year to keep the health of America's boys and men top of mind. This June was no exception. MHN has had a very successful series of campaigns to highlight the status of the health of the American male in a number of ways,” said MHN Senior Science Advisor Dr. Salvatore J. Giorgianni, Jr., PharmD. “We believe that Health is an important component of Masculinity and are committed to continuing in our advocacy and educational efforts. Now that COVID-19 is coming under control, we urge all the guy’s to take a look at their overall wellness and health, and if you haven't been in for a medical visit since COVID-19 began, go and Get It Checked. If you haven't had your COVID vaccination, please do so; it is the only way to keep this pandemic under control."

Other highlights include:

• MHN partnered with the Men’s Health Caucus (http://menshealthcaucus.net/) of the American PublicHealth Association (APHA) for the Men’s Health Caucus quarterly meeting in which global leaders throughout the men’s health space discussed men’s health and outreach initiatives in their communities.

• The Global Action on Men's Health hosted a ZOOM Conference where leaders from member countries laid out their plans for International Men's Health Week.

• MHN joined the Global Action on Men's Health (https://gamh.org/) and colleagues from around the globe to request the World Health Organization (WHO) take a leading role in the advancement of men's health globally.

• Key thought leaders in public health such as Dr.Paul Turek (a leader in men’s reproductive and sexual health care and research), Armin Brott (MrDad.com) and others contributed articles to the award-winning Talking About Men’s Health blog (http://www.talkingaboutmenshealth.com/).

• 14th Annual Men’s Wellness Summit– Tennessee Men’s Health Network (TMHN) hosted the 14th Annual Men’s Wellness Summit virtually on June 5. The event brought in doctors and other health professionals to cover a wide variety of men’s health issues around HPV Cancers, Colorectal Cancer, and more. Watch a replay of the summit on MHN’s YouTube page at https://youtu.be/y8xbjiC-BHY.

• Fit Father’s Day – Alongside Fit Fathers, MHN celebrated Father’s Day by heading up the street to Silver Spring, Md., for the 8th Annual Fit Father’s Day Celebration (https://fitfathers.com/8th-annual-fit-fathers-day-celebration-the-hybrid-edition/) and handed out free health pamphlets and information to men, boys, and their families.

Men’s Health Month is built around four pillars: Awareness, Prevention, Education, Family, and has encouraged the development of thousands of health awareness activities during the month of June and throughout the year, both in the USA and around the globe. Private companies, hospital systems, clinics, the faith-based community, fraternal organizations, the public sector, and others use the month of June to highlight their services and reach out to men and their families.

Men’s Health Month and Men’s Health Week are sponsored by Men’s Health Network (MHN), which maintains a list of experts and spokespersons on all areas of male health and wellness, including fatherhood issues.

About Men’s Health Network

Men's Health Network (MHN) is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to reach men, boys, and their families where they live, work, play, and pray with health awareness messages and tools, screening programs, educational materials, advocacy opportunities, and patient navigation. Learn more about MHN at www.MensHealthNetwork.org and follow them on Twitter @MensHlthNetwork and Facebook at www.facebook.com/menshealthnetwork. For more information on MHN's ongoing Dialogue on Men's Health series, visit www.DialogueOnMensHealth.com

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Brandon Ross
Men's Health Network
+1 202-543-6461 ext. 101
communications@menshealthnetwork.org