Community Health Charities wants to help you take a measure of good health. In partnership with our member charities, Community Health Charities continues to offer National Health Day email updates to businesses throughout the state to promote and enhance the health and wellness of employees and their families. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in learning more about any of the monthly National Health Day topics or the health initiatives of Community Health Charities. We may offer a Lunch & Learn relevant to a topic that may be of interest to the employees in your workplace. Printer Friendly To support any of the 34 health charities we represent, be sure to ask about our charitable workplace giving campaigns. Parkinson's Awareness Month In the United States, there are 1.5 million people with Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system characterized by a decrease in spontaneous movements, gait difficulty, postural instability, rigidity, and tremor. Men and women alike are affected. The frequency of the disease is considerably higher in those over age 60, even though there is an alarming increase of diagnoses in younger people. For more information on Parkinson's disease, go to www.apdaparkinson.org. A Lunch & Learn topic related to Parkinson's is available. Please refer to topic 45 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: American Parkinson Disease Association National Donate Life Month Did you know that one organ donor can save up to nine lives? Examples of organs that can be donated are the heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and small intestine. Tissues that an individual can donate are corneas, bone, skin, heart valves, and veins. Every day approximately 17 people die waiting for an organ. In 2006, there were over 26,000 organ transplants performed. Nearly ten percent of the people on the waiting list for a transplant are under the age of 18. Over 12,000 people never become donors because their families do not give consent. Organ donors represent people of all ages. It is important to talk with your family members if you wish to be an organ donor. Organ donation materials are available at all drivers' license renewal locations. Get the facts about organ donation. Go to www.kidney.org. Remember, zero lives will be saved if you do nothing! A Lunch & Learn topic related to organ donation is available. Please refer to topic 13 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Source: National Kidney Foundation www.kidney.org. Kick Butts Day - April 28 Kick Butts Day is the campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. Kick Butts Day serves as an opportunity to educate kids about the dangers of tobacco and a chance for them to achieve results in the field of tobacco prevention, control, and education. Did you know that approximately 18 percent of high school students in Connecticut smoke? Each day in the United States, nearly 6,000 children less than 18 years of age start smoking and of these, nearly 2,000 will become regular smokers. That is almost 800,000 annually! If current patterns of tobacco use persist, an estimated 6.4 million children will die prematurely from a smoking-related disease. For more information on Kick Butts Day, visit www.kickbuttsday.org. The American Lung Association is a major partner of Kick Butts Day. Lunch & Learn topics related to smoking are available. Please refer to topics 19 and 32 in your Lunch & Learn booklet. Sources: American Lung Association Website www.lungusa.org; Tobacco Free Kids Website: http://tobaccofreekids.org Alcohol Awareness Month Alcoholism is a progressive disease that afflicts 10 million adults and three million children. Those that abuse alcohol can be a college student, a pregnant woman whose drinking puts her baby at risk for fetal alcohol syndrome, the professional who drinks after a long day of work, or the senior citizen who drinks out of loneliness. If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you may have a problem with alcohol: Do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad? Does your drinking ever make you late for work? Does your drinking worry your family? Do you ever drink after telling yourself you won't? Did you ever forget what you did while drinking? Do you get headaches or have a hangover after drinking? If you think you have an alcohol problem, see a healthcare practitioner right away and check with your local Alcoholics Anonymous chapter. Most people who depend on alcohol need help to stop drinking. Sources: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services- How to Cut Down on Your Drinking; Mental Health America (formerly the National Mental Health Association) If you would not like to receive these updates each month, please send an email to the list administrator by clicking here ALS Association, CT Chapter ALS Association, RI Chapter Alzheimer's Association, CT Chapter Alzheimer’s Association, RI Chapter American Cancer Society American Cancer Society, RI Chapter American Diabetes Association American Diabetes Association, RI Chapter American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, Northeast Affiliate - RI American Heart Association, Heritage Affiliate American Liver Foundation, CT Chapter American Lung Association of CT American Lung Association of RI American Parkinson Disease Association, CT Chapter Arthritis Foundation Arthritis Foundation, Southern New England Chapter Brain Injury Association of CT Brain Injury Association of RI Cancer Research Institute Children's Tumor Foundation Children’s Tumor Foundation, RI Chapter Connecticut CFIDS & FM Association Connecticut Hospice Institute Crohn’s And Colitis Foundation Of America Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, CT Chapter Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, MA/RI Chapter Easter Seals Connecticut Easter Seals Rhode Island Easter Seals Greater Hartford Rehabilitation Center Epilepsy Foundation of CT Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, RI Branch Lea's Foundation for Leukemia Research Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, RI Chapter Lupus Foundation of America, CT Chapter Lyme Disease Foundation March of Dimes, CT Chapter March of Dimes, RI Chapter Mental Health Association of CT Muscular Dystrophy Association Muscular Dystrophy Association, RI Affiliate National Kidney Foundation of CT National Multiple Sclerosis Society, CT Chapter National Multiple Sclerosis Society, RI Chapter Prevent Blindness TriState-Connecticut Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, CT Chapter Special Olympics Connecticut United Cerebral Palsy Association of Southern CT