SPECIAL UPDATE: National Men's Health Week!

SPECIAL UPDATE: National Men's Health Week!

SPECIAL UPDATE: National Men’s Health Week! Keeping Men Healthy

National Men’s Health Week is June 15- 21 and creates an opportunity to get the word out on preventive services available to the men in our lives.    

Starting the Conversation

Let’s make sure men are covered by starting more conversations about health and health coverage.  Why? Nearly 23 million men, especially young adult men, are uninsured today. We want the men in our lives – our fathers, our brothers, our sons, our friends – to stay healthy.  Getting health insurance is one way to make that a reality and it can all start with a conversation.  Brother2Brother provides three questions to spark conversations with men about health care and getting health coverage.  These questions give men the opportunity to invest in a healthy future for themselves, their families, and friends. 

Men: Take Control of Your Health – at HealthFinder.gov 

All Marketplace and many other plans cover a rich menu of preventive services without charging you a copayment or coinsurance. This is true even if you haven’t met your yearly deductible.  This applies only when these services are delivered by anetwork provider. Based on family history and other risk factors, HealthFinder.gov will inform you about preventive services doctors for all men ages 20, 60 or whatever age a man might be!  Visit HealthFinder.gov to find out what preventive services are recommended for men at every age! 

#ShowUsYourBlue: Support National Men’s Health Week

Show your support for National Men’s Health Week by wearing blue! The Wear Blue campaign was created by the Men’s Health Network to raise awareness about the importance of male health and to encourage men to live healthier lives through routine checkups, better diets, and more active lifestyles. Help men live healthier and longer lives through the #ShowUsYourBlue social media effort in one or more of the following ways:  

• Between the days of June 15-21, plan a date and time where you and your co-workers wear blue and then share a picture with us on Twitter using the caption #ShowUsYourBlue.
• Throw a #ShowUsYourBlue challenge! Share this Twitter campaign with your friends and family by challenging them to organize a #ShowUsYourBlue work day!
• Brainstorm a list of ways in which men can better their health and share with us your ideas under the caption #ShowUsYourBlue.

Steps to a Healthier You: How to take Action Now

There is no time like the present to start making health a priority. Did you know men were 24 percent less likely than women to have seen a doctor in the past year?  The HHS’s Federal Occupational Health Agency’s  (FOHA’s)  step-by-step guide offers a reliable way to make those visits more frequent and helps men take control of their health from Coverage to Care.  

• Download a free resource, Men: Stay Healthy at Any Age, an informational pamphlet on screening tests, preventative medicine, and steps for good health for men.
• Make sure to browse FOHA’s  comprehensive Campaigns and Outreach Toolkit for  free and downloadable flyers, posters, table tents, and email blasts to help you spread the word throughout your communities!

Give the Men in your community a Health Quiz!  

Help your doctor help you! We all need to be better communicators when it comes to our health whether it’s how we are feeling or the symptoms we notice. Communicating with your clinicians about your concerns and having the appropriate resources at hand are just a few important ways to stay on top of your health.

• Begin with this quiz of how well you know common men’s health conditions.
• Search through the Library of Resources  for Men’s Health and learn about important research updates and educational information to help with the management of diseases and conditions.
• Find the right advice and support as you embark on your own personal healthcare journey.

And check out documentary on My Brother’s Keeper this weekend!

My Brother’s Keeper Documentary Film, Rise: The Promise of My Brother’s Keeper, is airing on Discovery Channel and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network June 21 at 7 PM ET/PT. The My Brother’s Keeper initiative was launched by President Obama to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and ensures that all young people can reach their full potential. The show explores the lives and families of boys and young men of color from across the country that participate in life changing intervention programs. The film highlights four programs that exemplify the principles of President Obama's My Brother's Keeper (MBK) initiative to improve the life outcomes of boys and young men of color.