April is a month dedicated to raising awareness for major health risks among Americans. Many organizations work extensively to stress the importance maintaining a strong physical and mental health. They hold numerous events locally, regionally, and nationally throughout the month.

–Autism Awareness Month

The Autism Society launched a nationwide initiative promoting autism awareness that assures every person with autistic spectrum disorder was granted equal opportunities to achieve the highest quality of life. The Autism Society has been working towards autism acceptance and to draw attention to the tens of thousands faced with an autism diagnosis. They encourage everyone to sport their Autism Awareness Puzzle Ribbon, representing the complexity of the autism spectrum, reflecting the diverse community of people and families dealing with autism.

–National Child Abuse Prevention Month

In 1983, April was declared Child Abuse Prevention Month by Ronald Reagan to acknowledge the importance of communities working together to the stop child abuse. In 2015, it was estimated that 683,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect. An organization called Prevent Child Abuse America has developed three ways people can help make a difference in their community: mentoring a child or a parent, advocate for family friendly policies  or donating time or money to child-serving organizations.

–National Donate Life Month

Every April, Donate Life America and their partnered organizations feature a number of events locally and nationally that encourage people to register as organ, eye and tissue donors. Donate Life America is represented by a pinwheel which is associated with opportunity and energy. Their website describes the pinwheel’s ability to “capture and pass on energy parallels one’s potential to make LIFE possible.”

–Parkinson’s Awareness Month

This year marks the 200th anniversary of Parkinson’s disease. April was designated Parkinson’s Awareness month in 2010. An estimate of 1 million people in the United States live with Parkinson’s disease, with 50,000 to 60,000 new diagnoses each year, according to the National Parkinson’s Foundation.

–National Cancer Control Month

National Cancer Control Month works to prevent cancer and any treatment complications. Research has shown that there are a number of lifestyle changes Americans can make to reduce their risk of cancer. Former President Barack Obama, stressed the importance of cancer awareness in Americans by saying, “I encourage citizens, government agencies, private businesses, nonprofit organizations and other interested groups to join in activities that will increase awareness of what Americans can do to prevent cancer.”

–Alcohol Awareness Month

Alcohol Awareness Month was founded by The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence in 1987. It’s main purpose was to denounce preconceived notions associated with alcoholism by educating communities and individuals about alcohol, alcohol addiction and recovery. According to the NCADD website, “alcoholism is a chronic, progressive disease, genetically predisposed and fatal if untreated.” Although dangerous, recovery is possible, in fact an average of 20 million Americans are living lives in recovery.

–Sexual Assault Awareness Month

This year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month’s theme is “Engaging New Voices.” Their initiative is to inform communities, individuals and groups on how they can prevent and take action against sexual violence. The goal of Sexual Assault Awareness month is to spread awareness about sexual violence and to educate individuals and communities on how to prevent it.  

–Stress Awareness Month

Since 1992, Stress Awareness Month has been held every April. The month is sponsored by the Health Resource Network (HRN,) a non-profit health education organization. Health care professionals join forces annually to increase public awareness for the causes and cures for stress. Stress Awareness Month is an effort to educate people on the dangers and misconceptions of stress in modern day society. The founder and Director of HRN, Dr. Morton Orman has been working with leading healthcare organizations nationwide to develop and implement educational materials on the negative effects of stress during the months of April.