Health Awareness Days and Months Serve as Reminders for Pharmacists

Although the number of days and months celebrated, or in some fashion marked, each year around the globe may seem inordinate and sometimes downright silly (May, for instance, is Global Employee Health and Fitness Month as well as Older Americans Month,¹ even if older is a rather vague term), some of the conditions highlighted in May are worth thinking about.

One is mental illness. As trusted health care professionals and members of multidisciplinary teams, pharmacists play a critical role in identifying and supporting individuals with these disorders. According to a 2021 study, what is required for pharmacists to become integral to public health and suicide prevention efforts is “standardized, mandatory mental health and crisis first aid training…[that will] ensure they are able to confidently and appropriately care for” these patients.²

May is also National Asthma and Allergies Awareness Month, and pharmacists can help with both conditions, as highlighted in our cover feature, which looks at a stepwise approach to managing allergic asthma, and the OTC Focus, which examines how pharmacists can help patients select treatments for seasonal allergy.

Other articles in this issue tackle patient expectations about weight loss drugs and intermittent fasting. And, continuing to zero in on health care disparities, our Legislative Focus article explains how the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2022 aims to address a variety of issues and build upon the gains made under the Affordable Care Act.

Pharmacy Times was also on the road in April, and we offer coverage of the American Pharmacists Association 2023 Annual Meeting and Exposition in this issue’s News from PharmacyTimes.com section. Check out more coverage of this and other industry conferences on our website.

Thank you for reading.

References

1. Fiorillo S. Health awareness months 2023. Clinical Advisor. February 8, 2023. Accessed April 13, 2023. https://www.clinicaladvisor.com/home/news/health-awareness-months

2. El-Den S, Collins JC, Chen TF, O’Reilly CL. Pharmacists’ roles in mental healthcare: past, present and future. Pharm Pract (Granada). 2021;19(3):2545. doi:10.18549/PharmPract.2021.3.2545