Communications

(April 24, 2026) – Month-Long Observances

• Alport Awareness Month
• ALS Awareness Month
  
• Arthritis Awareness Month
• Asthma and Allergies Awareness Month (National)
• Better Hearing and Speech Month
• Better Sleep Month
• Bladder Cancer Awareness Month
• Blood Clot Awareness Month
• Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month
• Brain Cancer Awareness Month
• Celiac Disease Awareness Month (National)
• Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month (National)
• Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month
• Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes Awareness Month
• Employee Health and Fitness Month (Global)
• Food Allergy Awareness Month
• Healthy Vision Month
• Hepatitis Awareness Month
• High Blood Pressure Education and Awareness Month
• Huntington's Disease Awareness Month
• Lupus Awareness Month
• Lyme Disease Awareness Month
• Maternal Mental Health Month
• Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month (National)
• Mental Health Awareness Month
• Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
• Necrotizing Fasciitis Awareness Month
• Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month
• Nurses Month (National)
• Older Americans Month
• Oncology Nursing Month
• Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month (National)
• Physical Fitness and Sports Month (National)
• Preeclampsia Awareness Month
• Psoriatic Arthritis Action Month
• Skin Cancer Prevention Awareness Month (International)
• Speech-Language Hearing Month (National)
• Stroke Awareness Month (National)
• Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month (National)
• Tourette's Awareness Month
• Trauma Awareness Month (National)
• Women's Health Month (National)

Week-Long Observances

• May 1-7 – Physical Education and Sports Week (National)
• May 3-9 – Children's Mental Health Awareness Week 
• May 4-8 – Air Quality Awareness Week
• May 4-9 – North American Occupational Safety and Health Week
• May 6-12 – Nurses Week (National)
• May 9-15 – Stuttering Awareness Week (National)
• May 10-16 
  • Food Allergy Awareness Week
  • Hospital Week (National)
  • Maternal Sepsis Week
  • Medical Fitness Week
  • Neuroscience Nurses Week
  • Prevention Week (National)
  • Skilled Nursing Care Week (National)
  • Women's Health Week (National)
• May 17-23 – Healthcare Documentation Integrity Week 

Recognition Days | Events

• May 2 – Scurvy Awareness Day (International)
• May 3 – Ankylosing Spondylitis Day (World)
• May 4 – Melanoma Monday
• May 5
  • Asthma Day (World) 
  • Hand Hygiene Day (World)
  • Pulmonary Hypertension Day (World)
• May 6
  • No Diet Day (International)
  • School Nurse Day (National)
  • Maternal Mental Health Day (World) 
  • Trauma Registry Professionals Day
• May 7 – Children's Mental Health Awareness Day (National)
• May 8
  • Ovarian Cancer Day (World)
  • Red Cross and Red Crescent Day (World)
  • Student Nurses Day (National)
• May 9 – Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Awareness Day (International)
• May 10
  • Lipid Day (National)
  • Lupus Day (World)
• May 11 – Women's Checkup Day (National)
• May 12
  • Awareness Day for Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases (International)
  • ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia International Awareness Day
  • Nurses Day (International)
• May 15 – Hyperemesis Gravidarum Awareness Day
• May 17 – Hypertension Day (World)
• May 18
  • Aids Vaccine Day (World)
  • HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
• May 19
  • Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (National)
  • Hepatitis Testing Day
  • IBD Day (World)
• May 20
  • Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis Day (World)
  • Trauma Survivors Day (National)
• May 22
  • Gout Awareness Day (National)
  • Preeclampsia Day (World)
• May 23 – Medical Coder Day
• May 24 – Schizophrenia Day (World)
• May 25 – Thyroid Day (World)
• May 27 – Senior Health and Fitness Day (National)
• May 29
  • Digestive Health Day (World)
  • Heat Awareness Day
• May 30 – MS Day (World)
• May 31 – No Tobacco Day (World)

As a SHSMD sponsor, Baldwin Publishing provides hospitals with free access to our healthy recipes and recipe calendar. Healthy Food Days (healthy recipe links to share on Facebook and in newsletters): https://healthecooks.com/national-food-days#planner/planner. Visit HealthEcooks.com to check out the recipe they're testing today. Please share it in your newsletter with your community members.
--Jan Fenwick