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Home » Press Room » Awareness Months
JanuaryNational Birth Defects Prevention Month
The March of Dimes, an international organization devoted to the discovery, treatment, and elimination of birth defects, is the driving force behind National Birth Defects Prevention Month. Birth defects occur while a baby is growing during pregnancy and can cause physical or mental disabilities, and in some cases even death. There are many different birth defects, and the March of Dimes estimates that approximately 120,000 babies are born each year in the United States with at least one. Among the most common are heart defects, cleft lip and cleft palate, Down syndrome, Spina Bifida, and FASD.
The March of Dimes is leading the way in discovering the genetic causes of birth defects, promoting newborn screening, and educating medical professionals and the public about best practices for healthy pregnancy. It has supported research for surfactant therapy to treat respiratory distress and helped initiate the system of regional neonatal intensive care for premature and sick babies. Many babies born with an FASD experience these symptoms and need this care.
Like the March of Dimes, the FASD Center for Excellence supports and promotes prevention, intervention, and diagnosis programs that are helping to eliminate alcohol-exposed pregnancies and help children and families living with FASD. The FASD Center for Excellence and March of Dimes both urge all women to have a preconception health checkup and continue with prenatal care throughout pregnancy.
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MarchNational Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
Intellectual disabilities occur for a variety of reasons, among them prenatal exposure to alcohol. The FASD Center for Excellence recognizes and supports the efforts of numerous national and local organizations that work to improve systems, services, and supports, and to educate individuals, families, and communities affected by intellectual disabilities. During Intellectual Disabilities Awareness Month, some of these organizations redouble their efforts to deliver their messages. To assist, the FASD Center for Excellence Web site offers links to Web sites that address this issue and provide helpful information to parents and families.
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AprilAlcohol Awareness Month
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that one in six U.S. adults (ages 18 and over) engage in binge drinking, and that those who do binge drink tend to do so frequently and with high intensity.1 [Binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks on an occasion for women, or five or more drinks on an occasion for men.] Excessive alcohol consumption is estimated to cause approximately 80,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.2 In addition, abuse of alcohol can lead to many other adverse health and social outcomes, including liver cirrhosis, breast and colon cancer, unintentional injuries, violence, unintended pregnancy, and FASD.3
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) sponsors Alcohol Awareness Month every year to inform Americans about the damage that excessive alcohol consumption can cause, and to encourage everyone to follow some simple guidelines:
- Don't drink if you are under the legal drinking age.
- Only drink alcohol in moderation.
- If you are pregnant, or may become pregnant, don't drink alcohol. There is no known safe amount or type of alcohol to drink during pregnancy.
Links to Learn More
National Minority Health Month
FASD Center for Excellence Strives to Improve the Health of Minority Populations
A primary goal of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence is reducing incidences of FASD in minority populations. Of particular concern to the Center is FASD among American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities; several studies suggest that these populations experience elevated rates of FASD when compared to their non-native peers. According to one article, "The Indian Health Service reported that 47 percent to 56 percent of pregnant patients admitted to drinking alcohol during their pregnancy" (Hanson, Weinberg, and Elliot, 2011). The same article goes on to state that the "rates of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome are estimated to be as high as 3.9 to 9.0 per 1,000 live births among American Indians in the Northern Plains.
In light of such statistics, the SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence takes a proactive but culturally sensitive approach to the prevention and treatment of FASD in Native communities. To ensure cultural competence, an Expert Panel consisting exclusively of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian individuals guides all of the Center’s work in Indian Country. The panel, made up of tribal leaders, behavioral health providers, and clients from both rural and urban settings, meets twice yearly to review the Center’s work and to make suggestions for its future endeavors. In addition, the Native Expert Panel acts as a liaison between the SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence and Native communities.
The Center has also sponsored three Native Leaders Conferences, one each for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian populations. These gatherings brought Native leaders and their staffs together for 2 days of facilitated brainstorming, all with the aim of formulating strategies for raising FASD awareness and increasing prevention and treatment efforts in their communities. It’s worth noting that the SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence merely organized the logistics for these conferences; all of the facilitation and planning was carried out by Native individuals on behalf of their communities. Such an approach reflects recent research which argues that "health communication strategists and health policy makers must welcome American Indians and Alaska Natives to take leadership roles in communicating culture- and Nation specific health campaign strategies to eliminate health disparities" (Retner, Dixon, Lengel 2012).
In addition to actively soliciting the input and guidance of Native populations, the SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence directly supports Native communities, largely by providing technical assistance and training. For example, Candace Shelton, the Center’s Senior Native American Specialist, proactively formed a relationship with the Tohono O'odham Nation and collaborated extensively with the Nation in its effort to form a tribal FASD Task Force. Ms. Shelton began this process by listening to key personnel from a variety of Tohono O'odham’s departments as she ascertained their knowledge of and interest in FASD. She then conducted trainings for staff members throughout the Tohono O'odham Nation to increase their awareness of the issue. At the same time, Ms. Shelton worked with the head of the Nation’s Health department to identify relevant individuals to invite to the first Task Force meeting. Finally, she provided the Nation with long-range technical assistance that focused not only on creating a Task Force development plan, but also on having the tribe take and maintain ownership of the group.
The above are only a few of the ways in which the SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence strives to improve health outcomes in minority populations. The Center also produces population-specific materials, such as the American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian FASD Resource Kit, and some of its products, including the Center Web site, are translated into Spanish.
MayMental Health Awareness Month
Mental Health America (MHA), like SAMHSA, is dedicated to battling the stigma, shame, and myths surrounding mental disorders. Formerly known as the National Mental Health Association, MHA is a nationwide nonpartisan public education organization launched as part of the 1999 White House Conference on Mental Health. Since 1949, MHA has sponsored and celebrated Mental Health Awareness Month. The goal is to provide education and create a more accepting environment for people to seek the help they need.
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JuneChildren's Awareness Month
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is proud to sponsor Children's Awareness Month each June in order to focus America’s attention on the importance of creating safe environments for children. Specifically, the annual campaign seeks to:
- Increase awareness of the vulnerability of children to violence;
- Teach people how to spot early warning signs of child emotional and behavioral problems; and
- Encourage everyone to take action to eliminate the incidences, causes, and effects of violence to children.
The FASD Center for Excellence supports the effort to raise awareness of child trauma and abuse, as children with an FASD are at an increased risk for experiencing multiple traumas throughout their lifespan.4
Links to Learn More
SeptemberNational Recovery Month (Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month)
According to SAMHSA’s most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 23.1 million persons in the U.S. aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem in 2010. Of these, only 2.6 million (just over 11%) received treatment at a specialty facility. Thus, nearly 89% of those who needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem in the past year did not receive specialized care.5
Each September, SAMHSA sponsors National Recovery Month to help raise awareness of this significant treatment gap. If you feel that you or a loved one has a problem with alcohol or another drug, you can follow the links below to learn more about National Recovery Month or to locate a treatment facility near you.
Links to Learn More
NovemberNational Adoption Month
November is National Adoption Month. Since 1995, this month has been set aside to raise awareness of the importance of adopting children and youth from foster care. Many children born with an FASD become foster children, sometimes repeatedly. Initiatives such as National Adoption Month help to spotlight the need for loving families to care for these and all children who are awaiting adoption, and also provide valuable information so that prospective parents can make informed decisions about the adoption process.
Links to Learn More
National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month
Each November is also National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (2010 AHAR), the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night was 649,917 in January 2010 (up 1.1% from the same survey in 2009). Overall, more than 1.59 million people spent at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program during the 2010 AHAR reporting period (up 2.2% from 2009).6
A variety of factors contribute to and result from homelessness, including lack of affordable housing, unemployment, mental health issues (26.2% of sheltered persons who were homeless in the 2010 AHAR had a severe mental illness), and substance abuse (34.7% of persons in the same survey had chronic substance use issues). Individuals with an FASD have also been shown to be at a high risk for experiencing homelessness during their lifetimes.7
Addressing homelessness is a key part of SAMHSA’s Recovery Support Strategic Initiative. To learn more about what SAMHSA and other agencies are doing to address this national issue, follow the links below.
Links to Learn More
1CDC. 2012. Vital signs: Binge drinking prevalence, frequency, and intensity among adults—United States, 2010. MMWR Jan 10:61:1-7. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6101a4.htm.
2Bouchery, E. E., Harwood, H. J., Sacks, J. J., Simon, C. J., & Brewer, R. D. 2011. Economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in the United States, 2006. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 41:516-524.
3Community Guide Branch, Epidemiology Analysis Program Office (EAPO), Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (OSELS). 2010. Preventing Excessive Alcohol Use. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
http://www.thecommunityguide.org/alcohol/index.html  .
4Institute of Health Economics. 2009. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD): Across the lifespan. Proceedings from an IHE Consensus Development Conference. Alberta, CA: Institute of Health Economics.
5Office of Applied Studies. 2011. Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings. NSDUH Series H-41, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 11-4658. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. http://oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k10NSDUH/2k10Results.htm#7.3.
6Office of Community Planning and Development. 2011. The 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
7Dinning, B. L., Podruski, A., Fox, D., & Wright, A. 2004. We Cares: Practical Skills for Frontline Workers Working with Adults Affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Ottawa, CA: Anne Wright and Associates, Inc.
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